At Asia Fruit Logistica 2026 (September 2-4), the international fresh-produce trade fair held in Hong Kong, 22 Vietnamese companies set up 24 booths. At a venue gathering 730 companies from 40 countries and regions, the destinations the Vietnamese contingent named were India and the Middle East. With the move to rearrange sales channels that had leaned toward China out in the open, it becomes a roster of new trading partners for Japanese agricultural buyers.
22 Vietnamese companies with 24 booths in Hong Kong, targeting India and the Middle East
The exhibition was organized by the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VFVA), on a scale of 24 booths and 22 companies. The association's secretary-general, Dang Phuc Nguyen, describes the fair as a venue for finding trading partners, expanding markets, and communicating the quality and reputation of growing regions. The scale of participation grew from 10 companies in 2017 to 22. The venue as a whole had 730 companies from 40 countries and regions, with Vietnam's 24 booths occupying one corner. Hong Kong, which many Chinese buyers visit, has become a node where Vietnam's growing regions can face Western and Middle Eastern buyers directly.
Pulimex brings six items; Vinafood names India and the Middle East
Among the exhibitors, the one that disclosed even its product lineup was Pulimex (Pulimex Import-Export). It lined up six items: dragon fruit, coconut, banana, longan, rambutan and mango. The company's Le Minh Tuan positions the venue as a place for deals reaching not only Asia but the United States, Europe, Australia, the Middle East and Africa. Another company, Vinafood International, put exports to India and the Middle East front and center. The stance of selling to multiple regions at once rather than narrowing to a single buyer the picture of Japan and other countries vying for Vietnamese Robusta at another trade fair in Hong Kong- it overlaps with that too.
Export value was US$8.6 billion in 2025, and is projected to top US$10 billion in 2026
Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports grew from about US$7 billion in 2024 to US$8.6 billion in 2025, and are projected to exceed US$10 billion in 2026. The drivers for 2026 are three items: durian, passion fruit and dragon fruit. The 22 exhibitors handle this core, layered with tropical fruits such as coconut, mango and longan, a lineup that overlaps considerably with the items Japanese importers are looking for.
China takes 54% of exports; more than 90% of durian goes to China
While the value grows, the skew in destinations is clear. Industry statistics show China accounts for 54% of Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports, and for durian more than 90% of export value is tied to the Chinese market. When unit prices fluctuate or quarantine policy shifts, regions dependent on a single market find it hard to avoid a price collapse. the durian situation in which wholesale prices in China halved even as exports rose 30% brought that fragility home to growing regions. The pitch to India and the Middle East in Hong Kong is a practical step toward breaking this skew.
India accepts fresh durian in 2026, and sales channels open to the Middle East too
Diversifying destinations is not just a slogan. India began accepting fresh Vietnamese durian under quarantine conditions in 2026, and dragon fruit is also growing in volume to India and the Middle East. Bananas reach Japan, South Korea and the Middle East from growing regions in the southeast. The India and Middle East that Vinafood touts are destinations placed on top of these actual openings and volume movements, not targets on paper. Like Turkey, a case of opening a new market with coconut and frozen products has also emerged, and the move to broaden export destinations across a wider area continues.
On-site deals the previous year were about US$5 million
The evidence that this fair functions as a place for deals is the previous year's record. The organizers explain that the 2025 edition saw about US$5 million in deals. The 22 companies with booths are a group that came back to Hong Kong on the strength of that deal record, and can be seen as sellers with the intent not to stop at exchanging business cards. What Japanese buyers can pick up at the venue is not just a price list but counterparts with the operational systems to actually move to a contract.
What Japanese trading houses should watch is "companies moving beyond China"
The key reading for Japanese agricultural buyers lies precisely in the fact that the exhibitors are targeting markets beyond China. Regions that have moved volume to China are often not used to small lots or specification compliance for Japan. By contrast, the companies now trying to expand channels to India, the Middle East and the West are building systems to switch specifications, packaging and documents for each of several export destinations. Companies that spell out their product lineup like Pulimex and name their destinations like Vinafood are easier to engage in the item-by-item, destination-by-destination dealings that Japanese trading houses want. The 22 exhibitors become an entry point for surveying these "sellers in motion."
A procurement route that uses Hong Kong as a node
Hong Kong is a logistics transit point connecting mainland China with Southeast Asian growing regions, and a place where international fresh-produce trade fairs have been held. For Vietnam's growing regions, because Chinese buyers and Western and Middle Eastern buyers gather at the same venue, they can advance negotiations that split destinations all at once. For Japanese importers too, it becomes a place to compare the items, specifications and destinations of several companies before visiting growing regions directly. If the contacts made at the venue are connected to confirming growing-area codes and quarantine conditions, it is easier to consolidate the procurement route into one.
The roster of 22 exhibitors becomes the entry point for procurement
The 22 Vietnamese companies lined up at Asia Fruit Logistica 2026 are a gathering of sellers moving to break their own dependence on China. Specific names such as Pulimex's six items and Vinafood's India and Middle East focus are information Japanese trading houses can use to decide whom to approach first. In a phase where export value heads toward US$10 billion and growing regions broaden their destinations, now is a time when there is growing room for the Japanese side to propose items and volumes. It is worth placing the venue's roster at the starting point of the next purchasing negotiation.
References:
Vietnam+ — Vietnam’s fruit gains stronger foothold in global markets
Vietnam+ — Vietnam’s fruit sector reaches new milestones
FreshPlaza — Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exports target US$10 billion in 2026
