According to a report by Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in October 2026, Vietnam's export of agricultural, forestry and aquatic products were estimated at US$6.93 billion, an increase of 7.9% compared to the previous month and a 13.4% increase compared to the same period in 2025. For the first 10 months of the year, total export value of agricultural, forestry and aquatic products reached US$63.02 billion, an 8% increase compared to the same period.
In export structure, agricultural products continued to account for the largest share with US$32.65 billion, an increase of 3.9%. This was followed by forestry products at US$16.13 billion, an increase of 7.3%; aquatic products at US$10.44 billion, an increase of 11.7%; and livestock products at US$642.7 million, an increase of 25.1%. Notably, export of production inputs reached US$3.15 billion, an increase of 56.4%. Salt exports reached US$12.5 million, an increase of 28.3%.
Among key export items, fruits and vegetables continued to record positive results. In October 2026, fruit and vegetable export turnover was estimated at US$1.05 billion, bringing total export value for the first 10 months to US$8.32 billion, an increase of 17.8% compared to the same period last year.
China continues to be Vietnam's largest fruit and vegetable market, accounting for 64.8% of total export value. Next two markets are the United States and South Korea, accounting for 6.7% and 3.6% respectively. Notably, fruit and vegetable exports to China increased by 22.4%, to the United States by 19.2% and to South Korea by 11.1% compared to the same period.
Seafood also maintained a fairly strong growth momentum. Export in October were estimated at US$1.34 billion, bringing total export value for the first 10 months to US$10.44 billion, an increase of 11.7%. Of this, pangasius export reached US$1.85 billion, up 11.5%; and shrimp exports reached US$4.25 billion, up 9.5%.
China, the United States and Japan were the three largest seafood markets, accounting for a combined 53.5% of the market share. Export to China increased by 34.2%, to the United States by 0.5% and to Japan by 1.5%. Increase in Chinese market continued to be a notable driving force for this product group.
For wood and wood products, export for the first 10 months reached US$15.02 billion, an increase of 6.9%. The United States remained the largest market, accounting for 50.2% of market share; China and Japan accounted for 14.9% and 12.6% respectively. However, export to the United States decreased by 4.1%, while exports to China increased by 40.8% and Japan by 6.7%.
Several other commodities also recorded positive results. Cashew export reached $4.38 billion, up 2.2% despite a 2% decrease in volume; pepper reached $1.58 billion, up 13.1% in value and 17.5% in volume. Tea reached $197.4 million, up 4.3% despite a 4.6% decrease in export volume.
Coffee, rubber and rice are under pressure from price and market fluctuations.
Contrary to positive developments in fruits, vegetables and seafood, some traditional export items are facing pressure from price and production. For coffee, in the first 10 months of 2026, Vietnam exported approximately 1.6 million tonnes, worth US$7.09 billion, an increase of 18.7% in volume but a decrease of 5% in value compared to the same period last year. Average export price reached US$4,528/tonne, a decrease of 19.9%.
Notably, coffee export to Germany, Italy and Japan, the three largest consuming markets, all decreased in value, by 7.4%, 0.6% and 1.4% respectively. Meanwhile, Chinese market recorded an increase of 53.1%, showing a significant shift in demand between markets.
For rubber, export volume in the first 10 months reached 1.2 million tonnes, worth US$2.54 billion, a decrease of 16.8% and 2.5% respectively compared to the same period. Although the average export price increased by 17.2%, to US$2,060.5/tonne, the price increase was not enough to offset the decline in volume. In particular, China, which accounts for 58.6% of market share, saw a 20.5% decrease in export value to this market. Conversely, export to India increased by 60.3% and to Indonesia by 2.5 times.
Rice also recorded a downward trend in both volume and value. In the first 10 months, rice exports reached 6.8 million tonnes, worth US$3.31 billion, a decrease of 4.6% in volume and 9.7% in value. Average export price reached US$484/tonne, a decrease of 5.4% compared to the same period in 2025.
The Philippines continues to be Vietnam's largest rice consumer market, accounting for 40.2% of the market share. However, export value to this market decreased by 14.9%. Meanwhile, export to China increased by 75.7%, indicating positive developments in this market.
From a market perspective, Asia continues to be Vietnam's largest export region for agricultural, forestry and aquatic products, accounting for 49.7% of market share; followed by the Americas with 22.2% and Europe with 13.4%. In the first 10 months, export to Asia increased by 11.8%, the Americas by 2.2%, Europe by 4.4%, and Oceania by 13.9%. Africa, however, decreased by 14.5%. China, the United States and Japan are the three main export markets for agricultural, forestry and aquatic products, with market shares of 25.1%, 19.9% and 7.3% respectively. Export to China increased by 19%, to the United States by 1% and to Japan by 4.8%.
Conversely, import of agricultural, forestry and aquatic products in October were estimated at US$4.64 billion, an increase of 6.9% compared to the previous month and 13.7% compared to the same period last year. For the first 10 months of the year, import value reached US$44.12 billion, an increase of 8.8%. Thus, trade surplus for the entire sector in the first 10 months of 2026 reached approximately US$18.9 billion. This result further affirms role of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in contributing to national trade balance. However, differentiation among commodities and concentration of markets in some key products indicate that diversifying markets, improving quality and increasing processing value remain crucial issues to address in the future.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn