Vietnam’s Agro-Forestry-Fishery Exports Hit $56.3 Billion in First Nine Months
Vietnam’s agro-forestry-fishery exports reached an estimated $56.3 billion in the first nine months of 2026, marking a 7.8% increase year-on-year, according to government data released on September 28 by Xinhua and the Government News portal. The sector secured a trade surplus of approximately $16.9 billion, driven by sustained shipments of wood, seafood, and fruit.
Evaluating the Nine-Month Export Metrics
Agricultural products formed the bulk of the nine-month revenue at $29.28 billion. Forestry products contributed $14.41 billion to the total, while fishery products generated $9.17 billion, based on local media reports from Dan Viet. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Vo Van Hung disclosed the figures during a September 25 meeting chaired by Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc alongside industry associations and enterprises.
To hit the ambitious full-year export target of over $74.2 billion, the agricultural sector faces a demanding Q4 schedule. The ministry calculates that exporters must secure an additional $17.91 billion over the final three months of the year, averaging $5.97 billion per month. While categories like wood, seafood, and durian show resilience, commodities such as coffee, cashew nuts, cassava, and tea continue to struggle against persistent market headwinds.
Strategic Shifts for Q4 Commodity Defense
For the final quarter, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment prioritized defending core staple commodity groups. Wood, wooden products, and seafood remain foundational to hitting the annual threshold, while the fruit and vegetable sector aims to maintain momentum, particularly with durian exports into international markets.
Coffee export strategies are shifting away from sheer volume expansion toward value elevation. Officials emphasized quality improvements, sorting, roasting, soluble coffee production, specialty varieties, and enhanced branding. Rice exporters are tasked with sustaining stable shipment volumes while raising the proportion of fragrant and high-grade varieties to penetrate non-traditional destinations.
Addressing Market Expansion and Supply Chain Hurdles
Beyond traditional markets in China, the ministry stressed continuous diversification into the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and CPTPP and RCEP member states. Exploratory headroom is also being targeted in the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, and Latin America for rice, coffee, pepper, processed vegetables, fruits, seafood, and livestock items.
Logistical and administrative bottlenecks remain a primary operational focus. Exporters managing perishable inventories rely heavily on streamlined customs clearance, strict adherence to technical standards, updated quarantine and testing protocols, and traceable growing and aquaculture codes. Meeting stringent packing house accreditations and managing credit access often require specialized logistics and cold storage.
Ultimately, the overarching roadmap outlined by the ministry entails pivoting decisively from volume-driven growth to quality, value addition, digital transformation, and deeper integration between agricultural processors and raw-material production regions.