Specifically, processed fruit and vegetable export turnover reached 2.06 billion USD, a 42.1% increase compared to 2024. This product group accounted for about 24% of total fruit and vegetable export turnover, significantly higher than the over 20% recorded the previous year, highlighting the growing role of deep processing in the industry's overall export structure.

Growth was driven by various high value-added products. Processed coconut brought in 362 million USD, up nearly 57% year-on-year from 2024. Pistachios reached approximately 361 million USD, an increase of over 64%, while almonds saw a nearly 80% rise, hitting 183 million USD. Additionally, processed products from passion fruit, mango, jackfruit, and longan all maintained double-digit growth, reflecting increasing demand for convenient, easy-to-store, and quality-stable products.

Workers at the WestFood factory are canning processed fruit. *Linh Dan*

This shift was evident towards the end of the year. In December 2025 alone, processed fruit and vegetable export turnover reached 362 million USD, an increase of over 83% from the previous month and 75% higher than December 2024. This strong growth indicates that international markets prioritize products with lower quarantine risks, convenient transportation, and suitability for modern distribution chains, rather than relying heavily on fresh produce.

The breakthrough in the processed segment is not a short-term phenomenon but linked to long-term changes in consumer behavior. An Amazon survey in the US revealed that most Americans snack daily, with over half using snacks as meal replacements. Fruits and vegetables are popular choices, creating significant opportunities for healthy agricultural snack products.

Seizing this trend, many Vietnamese businesses have introduced dried fruits and processed products onto global e-commerce platforms. From 2021 to 2024, sales of Vietnamese fruit snacks on Amazon surged by over 550%, while dried fruit sales increased by more than 250%. According to exporting businesses, American consumers are willing to pay premium prices for naturally dried products that are additive-free and have no added sugar, compelling businesses to strictly control input materials and invest heavily in processing technology.

Meanwhile, fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts still constitute a large share, with a turnover of 6.05 billion USD, but their growth rate reached only nearly 14%, significantly lower than the processed group. This development indicates that Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports are entering a new phase, where deep processing not only helps expand markets but also acts as a "safety buffer" against policy changes, logistics fluctuations, and increasingly stringent import standards.

The healthy consumption trend is also spreading globally. The Import-Export Department cited a Future Market Insights report stating that the global dried fruit and vegetable market is projected to grow from 88.2 billion USD in 2025 to 192.2 billion USD by 2035, representing an average annual growth rate of over 8%.

According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, processed fruit and vegetable exports surpassing the 2 billion USD mark for the first time is significant not only in terms of turnover volume but also reflects the effectiveness of technology investment, product diversification, and value chain restructuring. This is considered a crucial foundation for Vietnam's fruit and vegetable industry to gradually reduce its reliance on raw exports and move towards more sustainable growth.

Thi Ha