Vietnamese pomelo makes its first landing in the Australian market
On April 13, 2026, a ceremony marking the first shipment of pomelo (bung) to Australia was held in Vietnam's southern provinces of Vinh Long and Dong Thap. Vina T&T Group shipped one 18-tonne container by sea from Vinh Long Province, and Blue Ocean Import-Export JSC shipped about 5 tonnes by air (unit price about US$7/kg) from Dong Thap Province. A combined total of about 17 tonnes of green-skin pomelo became the first commercial cargo from Vietnam bound for Australia.
Following dragon fruit, lychee, longan, mango and passion fruit, pomelo was officially approved as Vietnam's sixth fruit exported to Australia. Vina T&T Group has already signed contracts for 9 containers, and plans to ship an additional 2 containers the week after the ceremony.
Two years of quarantine negotiations — clearing 19 pests and 400 Gy irradiation
Australia has one of the world's most rigorous phytosanitary standards. Reaching this market opening took about two years of pest risk assessment and technical consultation between Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).
The conditions Australia demanded were clear and strict. 19 regulated pests Complete proof of control against them, obtaining registered growing-area codes and packing-facility codes, and at a minimum 400 Gy (gray) irradiation was made mandatory. Vina T&T Group completed treatment at the Toan Phat irradiation facility in Vinh Long Province, meeting all the standards.
The two governments agreed on the market opening in October 2025, and DAFF gave final approval of import procedures on April 10, 2026. The speed of a first shipment just three days later speaks to the thoroughness of the preparation.
The scale of Vietnam's pomelo industry — 1 million tonnes a year across 100,000 ha
Vietnam's pomelo industry is one of the largest in Southeast Asia. Cultivation area reaches about 100,000 hectares, and annual production about 1 million tonnes. The leading production area is Ben Tre Province in the Mekong Delta (about 9,400 ha, 35% of the province's fruit-tree area), followed by Vinh Long and Dong Thap provinces.
The main variety is the export-oriented 'green-skin (Da Xanh) pomelo,' with juicy, strongly sweet flesh inside a thick rind. In the domestic market, region-specific varieties such as Nam Roi pomelo, Dien pomelo and Doan Hung pomelo are also popular.
Fresh pomelo exports in 2024 came to about US$60 million. It currently exports to 14 countries, with the United States, South Korea and New Zealand as main markets. An official export protocol with China is also under negotiation, and if realized, a dramatic expansion of export value is expected.
Key data: the full picture of Vietnamese pomelo exports
| Item | Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic cultivation area | About 100,000 ha | As of 2025 |
| Annual production | about 1 million tonnes. | 2025 estimate |
| 2024 fresh-export value | about US$60 million. | Up year on year |
| Number of export destination countries | 14 countries | US, South Korea, NZ, Australia and others |
| First shipment volume to Australia | about 17 tonnes | Sea 11.9t + air 5t |
| Air unit price | about US$7/kg | Blue Ocean |
| Dong Thap Province cultivation area | 4,364ha | 65,000 tonnes produced a year |
| Dong Thap Province registered areas | 23 areas, 31 codes | 470.85ha |
| Irradiation standard | Minimum 400 Gy | Australia DAFF requirement |
| Regulated pests | 19 species | Proof of control required for all species |
Local voices: comments from three export stakeholders
Nguyen Dinh Tung, CEO of Vina T&T Group
'Responding to the 19 quarantine pests and clearing the strict irradiation standard is not merely a technical milestone. It is proof that Vietnam's fruit quality control has reached international standards.'
Chau Van Hoa, Chairman of the Vinh Long Province People's Committee
'Achieving the first shipment was difficult, but maintaining the market and building a long-term brand is even harder. Continuing quality control is the biggest challenge.'
Le Chi Thien, Deputy Director of the Dong Thap Province Department of Agriculture and Environment
'Only with close coordination among stakeholders and a harmony of interests can the pomelo industry achieve sustainable development.'
Impact on Japanese companies and buyers
Vietnamese pomelo's entry into the Australian market offers implications for Japan's fruit import industry too. Australia has phytosanitary standards as strict as or stricter than Japan's, and an approval track record here backs up the high level of quality and safety management of Vietnamese fruit.
Official imports of Vietnamese pomelo are not currently permitted in the Japanese market, but amid a 59.5% year-on-year surge in fruit and vegetable exports in January–February 2026, the Vietnamese side's strategy of diversifying export destinations is accelerating. As traceability systems are developed, a positive effect can be expected on future export negotiations with Japan as well.
Industry ripple effects — the US$1 billion fruit-export era and the chain of market access
Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports recorded US$8.5 billion in 2025, and reached US$1.48 billion in Q1 2026 alone (up 27% year on year). has been reached. The government, for full-year 2026, US$10 billion sets its goal on breaking the major mark.
The pomelo approval in Australia does not end as the success of a single item. The accumulated know-how in market-access negotiation, the expansion of irradiation facilities, and the maturing of the growing-area code management system — this 'infrastructure' gives a push to opening the Australian market for the next items (mangosteen, rambutan and so on).
Dong Thap Province also has its sights on exporting mango (7,280 ha), longan (700 ha), durian and coconut to Australia, and Durian's green-lane system the tracking and quality-control systems established there are expected to be rolled out horizontally to other items.
Practical information: list of requirements for exporting Vietnamese pomelo to Australia
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Approval date | April 10, 2026 (DAFF final procedures completed) |
| Target variety | Green-skin pomelo (Da Xanh) |
| Quarantine requirement | Proof of control against 19 regulated pests |
| Irradiation | Minimum 400 Gy, conducted at an accredited facility |
| Registration requirement | Obtaining growing-area codes + packing-facility codes |
| Accredited facility | Toan Phat irradiation facility (Vinh Long Province) |
| Main export companies | Vina T&T Group / Blue Ocean Import-Export JSC |
| Transport mode | Sea (Vina T&T) + air (Blue Ocean) |
| Expected arrival | Sea shipments about 20 days after departure |
| Negotiations with China | Official export protocol under negotiation |
Conclusion: the 'sixth fruit' that opens up the Australian market
Vietnamese pomelo's first shipment to Australia is the fruit of two years of quarantine negotiations and measures against 19 pests. The first shipment of about 17 tonnes is small in volume, but contracts for 9 containers have already been concluded, and expansion on a commercial basis has begun.
Against a supply capacity of 100,000 ha of cultivation area and 1 million tonnes of annual production, the 2024 export value is still only about US$60 million. If, following Australia, a protocol for China is concluded, pomelo could become Vietnam's new export growth engine after durian and passion fruit.
As Vinh Long Province Chairman Chau Van Hoa said, maintaining the market and building the brand is the real challenge, more than the first shipment. Building a track record in the rigorous Australian market lifts the international credibility of Vietnamese fruit as a whole.
