CHINA SURPASSES U.S. AS VIETNAM’S LARGEST CASHEW EXPORT MARKET

Workers process raw cashew nuts at a processing facility in Vietnam - PHOTO: TL

HCMC – Vietnam’s cashew exports rebounded strongly in the final month of 2025, pushing full-year export revenue past the US$5-billion mark for the first time, with China overtaking the U.S. as the country’s biggest buyer.

Data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment showed that cashew has become Vietnam’s fourth agricultural product, after fruit and vegetables, coffee and rice, to generate more than US$5 billion in export value in a single year.

Amid a sharp fall in rice exports, cashew also moved up to third place among Vietnam’s key agricultural export earners in 2025, behind coffee, which brought in US$8.9 billion, and fruit and vegetables at US$8.56 billion.

In addition to setting a new value record, cashew exports hit an all-time high in volume, reaching 766,585 tons, up 5.7% from 2024. During the year, Vietnam imported over 2.9 million tons of raw cashew nuts worth around US$4.5 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of more than US$700 million.

China emerged as Vietnam’s largest cashew export market, with turnover of US$1.115 billion. The U.S. slipped to second place with US$975 million, while the Netherlands ranked third at US$495 million.

According to Bach Khanh Nhut, vice chairman of the Vietnam Cashew Association (VINACAS), exports to China surged thanks to the country’s economic recovery, growing demand for health-oriented agricultural products, and Vietnamese exporters’ improved compliance with market standards.

By contrast, cashew shipments to the U.S. fell sharply as many importers halted purchases from April 2025, concerned about risks related to reciprocal tariffs when goods arrived during the policy’s effective period.

For more than a decade, the U.S. had been Vietnam’s largest cashew market, usually accounting for over 20% of total export volume and nearly 27% in 2024. As such, tariff-related uncertainties are expected to continue weighing on cashew exports to this market.

In response, industry players see expanding processed cashew exports as a key strategy, as U.S. buyers cut back on raw kernel imports while increasing demand for processed and ready-to-eat products. Vietnam, along with India, Thailand and Canada, remains among the main suppliers to this segment.

Source: The Saigon Times