Crops & Agricultural Products

Vinh Hoan's ASC-certified prepared pangasius product "Cured Panga Croquette" took the top award at Seafood Excellence Asia 2026. We lay out its significance from the angle of a white-fish substitute for Japan's foodservice and ready-meal sectors.

While Dak Lak's Chanh Thu increases purchasing to 40,000 tonnes, it uses quality control to prevent a decline in the share of Grade A fruit. From the figures of a surging harvest, we lay out the perspective for Japanese importers handling Vietnamese durian as they reconsider which growing areas and factories to choose.

Vietnamese durian exports to South Korea rose 188% in January–July to US$2.4 million. The amount is small, but we read the significance of this test market in breaking down dependence on China, and the preparations Japanese buyers can make now.

Ho Chi Minh City has approved a tourism-development plan for Con Dao National Park. It added two 5.5 km cable-car lines and an investment-attraction allocation for 100 ha of marine aquaculture. Neither the fish species nor the operators have been announced. We lay out the points Japanese seafood buyers should check now.

The major Vietnamese pangasius company Nam Viet has formed a long-term partnership with the UK's Benchmark on breeding Nile tilapia. Through ASC and BAP certification and genetic improvement, the options for white-fish raw materials used by Japanese foodservice are widening.

The shrimp-farming cooperative HTX Thanh Dat in Ca Mau province has obtained ASC Farm Standard certification from DNV. We lay out what this certification—which majors such as Aeon make a sourcing requirement—means for sourcing to Japan and the EU, and the points buyers should check at first hand.

In Da Lat, Lam Dong, Vietnam, the pharmaceutical company Ladophar produces artichokes in partnership with farmers, and we interpret, from the perspective of Japanese sourcing and ingredient development, its move to sort the leaves, buds, stems, and roots into tea, extracts, and foods and buy them to pharmaceutical specifications.

Vietnam's vegetable and fruit exports reached US$5.87 billion in eight months. Cashew nuts (+111%) and passion fruit (+25.6%) grew, while dragon fruit, mango, and banana fell below the previous year. We read the item reshuffle Japanese buyers should keep in mind.

Vietnam has set its 2026 durian export target at about US$4 billion. India opened up fresh durian in July, and diversification away from 95% dependence on China is advancing. Growing-area codes total more than 1,800 cumulatively, and electronic traceability has been running since July. We read the changes in supply capacity and price negotiations from the Japanese importer's point of view.

Vietnam's seafood exports are expected to exceed US$12 billion for the full year 2026. With cod and Alaska pollock stuck in a high price range amid a global white-fish shortage, the competitiveness of Vietnamese pangasius, which can be produced stably through farming, is rising. We have laid out, with figures, the points that can be used in Japanese food-service and private-brand sourcing.