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

Related News

INFRASTRUCTURE / CONSTRUCTION / LOGISTIC / PORT

VIỆT NAM-CAMBODIA TRADE GATHERS PACE TOWARDS $20 BILLION TARGET

Trade between Việt Nam and Cambodia continues to grow, remaining a bright spot and a key pillar of bilateral cooperation as the two countries aim to raise two-way trade to US$20 billion in the coming years. After setting a record of more than $11.3 billion last year, bilateral trade reached about $8.7 billion in the first eight months of this year, up 8.3 per cent year on year.

Oct 14, 2026

TECHNOLOGY

AI BEGINNING TO RESHAPE RECRUITMENT CRITERIA

Digital literacy is the only capability area in which fresh graduates meet employers’ expectations, according to a new report. Yet, it is also the standard rising fastest, as businesses increasingly expect new hires to use AI effectively in the workplace. Some 83 per cent of employers say AI has changed, or is beginning to change, their hiring criteria, while 94 per cent report higher expectations for digital and AI capabilities than they had two to three years ago.

Oct 14, 2026

INFRASTRUCTURE / CONSTRUCTION / LOGISTIC / PORT

ĐÀ NẴNG GREEN-LIGHTS US$105 MILLION THAI DEVELOPMENT DEAL

The central city has approved an investment proposal by Thailand’s WHA Group to develop infrastructure for the 400ha WHA Đà Nẵng Industrial Park project on two communes of Thăng Bình and Đồng Dương, with an investment of more than VNĐ2.7 trillion (US$105 million). The city said it approved WHA Industrial Development International's status as an investor in the project, which is expected to take place between 2027 and 2034.

Oct 14, 2026

VIETNAM ECONOMY INVESTMENT

MOBILE PHONE EXPORTS RISE 20% TO $51.8 BILLION IN FIRST NINE MONTHS

Exports of mobile phones and components rose 20 per cent year-on-year to nearly US$51.8 billion in the first nine months of 2026, with China, the US and Republic of Korea accounting for more than half of the total. Shipments to the three markets reached a combined $26.18 billion, or 50.6 per cent of total exports of the product group during the period, according to data from the Vietnam Department of Customs under the Ministry of Finance.

Oct 14, 2026

VIETNAM ECONOMY INVESTMENT

FRUIT AND VEGETABLE EXPORTS POISED TO HIT $10 BILLION IN 2026

Fruit and vegetable exports are on track to reach nearly US$10 billion in 2026, after rising 19.9 per cent year on year to nearly US$7.4 billion in the first nine months, driven by strong seasonal demand and abundant tropical fruit supplies. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment said the growth reflected stronger international demand for fresh produce and processed agricultural products.

Oct 14, 2026

GARMENT / TEXTILE

TEXTILE EXPORTS FACE DUAL CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINING ORDERS AND BOOSTING EFFICIENCY AMID GROWING COMPETITION

Data shows that the textile and garment sector maintained its growth momentum in the first nine months of this year. The industry's total export turnover reached an estimated US$35.721 billion in the first nine months of this year, up 3.3 per cent year-on-year. Despite posting encouraging export figures, Vietnamese textile and garment enterprises continue to navigate unpredictable market variables.

Oct 14, 2026