In Vietnam's fresh-produce exports to the US, coconut has taken the top spot by item. In a tally by the Vietnam Customs Department (Cuc Hai quan) reported by VnExpress on September 22, 2026, coconut exports to the US in January–July 2026 reached US$105.27 million, far surpassing mango's US$32.3 million and dragon fruit's US$26.7 million. The fruit sold piled high enough to overflow onto roadsides has become the largest item, accounting for 29% of the roughly US$361 million in fresh produce to the US. For Japanese food buyers, it is material for reading what is being chosen on US shelves and where it is supplied from.
The US$105.27 million of coconut to the US is 29% of all fresh produce, with a growth rate about double the overall
In the Customs Department's tally, fresh-produce exports to the US in January–July 2026 were about US$361 million (up 14.4% year on year). Of this, coconut was US$105.27 million (about 2.7 trillion dong), up 28% from the same period a year earlier. A year earlier, the same period was US$82 million, accounting for 26% of fresh produce to the US, so the amount is a build-up of over US$23 million and the share a rise of over 3 points. Coconut's growth rate of 28% is nearly double the 14.4% of all fresh produce.
| Items | Export value to the US in January–July 2026 | Year on year | Share of fresh produce to the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coconut | US$105.27 million | +28% | 29% |
| Mango | US$32.3 million | ― | About 9% |
| Dragon fruit | US$26.7 million | ― | About 7% |
| All fresh produce | About US$361 million | +14.4% | 100% |
The amounts and year-on-year figures, and coconut's 29%, are the Customs Department figures conveyed by VnExpress; all fresh produce is shown as an approximate figure even in the original. The ratios for mango and dragon fruit were calculated by this site. The original does not show the fresh/processed breakdown of this US$105.27 million.
The change in the top spot is strictly a matter limited to the US market. In the shuffle in export composition by item this site organized in September, in the same January–July 2026, Vietnam's dragon fruit exports worldwide were US$321.9 million and mango US$265 million. This worldwide tally is from a different source (via Mekong ASEAN) and has a different tabulation origin from the US figures. Divided simply, the US accounts for only about 12% of all mango exports and about 8% of dragon fruit. The main battlefield for both items remains outside the US, and this ranking shift is closer to the reality when read as the result of coconut growing on US shelves.
Vina T&T has built a production area in Ben Tre province since 2017 and resumed shipments to the US in 2022
Nguyen Dinh Tung, CEO of major exporter Vina T&T, explains that although Vietnamese coconut went to the US before 2019, it was subsequently cut off by technical requirements and market-opening procedures. The resumption was in 2022, and the company took a different approach from before in everything—variety, raw-material production area, storage, and the form of the product.
According to Tung, some of the varieties once used for export had large fruit but a taste that did not suit US consumers. US preferences are also shifting, with more buyers favoring a clean, light taste over the strong sweetness of Thailand's dua dua and the like. Against this, Ben Tre province's dua xiem xanh has a clean sweetness and a light aftertaste. Having grasped this trend, the company has cultivated a dua xiem xanh raw-material production area in Ben Tre province since 2017.
As a challenge separate from while on the tree, the fruit was required to be sufficiently fresh in the buyer's hands even after a long transport distance. Through storage technology, the usable period of fresh coconut was extended to 70–80 days. The packaging also changed, with a form shaved into a stopper shape (dang nut). It can be opened without a tool for cracking it and drunk as-is.
US shelves at US$1.99 a piece; Tung sees room for over 20% annual growth in fresh demand
The US retail price of Vietnamese coconut is about US$1.99 per piece, or US$16.99–17 for a box of nine. Dividing the box price per piece gives about US$1.89, so the difference from singles stays around 10 cents. Buyers have spread beyond Vietnamese and other Asian residents to Americans, Tung says. A photo carried by VnExpress shows fresh Vietnamese coconut on the shelves of a New York supermarket, credited to Vina T&T.
On the room for growth, Tung shows the view that US fresh-coconut demand may grow more than 20% a year over the coming years. On the other hand, his judgment is that the field of processed coconut, such as canned, is relatively saturated. The point that the outlooks diverge for fresh and processed is worth confirming at the stage of choosing the raw material's form.
The secretary-general of the Vietnam Coconut Association cited the risk of not leading to repeat purchases as a challenge
Cao Ba Dang Khoa, secretary-general of the Vietnam Coconut Association, also sees that the US market still holds great room for Vietnamese coconut and that the product has only just entered its first stage. Before Vietnamese product entered, what the US mainly used was coconut from Thailand and South American countries.
However, Khoa points out that sustainably growing exports to the US takes more than chasing orders and production volume. One person buying on trial does not necessarily buy again, and if quality is unstable or the product differs from what was promised, there is a risk of losing customers. What is needed, he says, is understanding each region's consumers and distribution systems and how competition works, and maintaining transparency and trust with every sale. He positions this as a hard spot for the many coconut companies that are small in scale and limited in resources. This point about quality variation and failure to deliver on promises is offered as a caveat in a phase where export value grew 28%.
On top of the company-scale and resource constraints Khoa cited, raw-material prices are also moving. At the time of the record high in fresh coconut this site reported in June, the farmers' farmgate price had risen to 180,000–210,000 dong per dozen (about 1,040–1,210 yen in the previously reported yen conversion) and exporters' purchases to 200,000–220,000 dong, with drought and disease pushing up prices across production areas including Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Philippines by 50–100% year on year. The level as of September has not been confirmed.
What Japanese buyers can take away are two points: the form selling in the US, and the supply source
What Japanese procurement managers can reliably take away from this reporting are two points: the form selling in the US (singles at around US$1.99 and boxes of nine, 70–80 days of freshness, drinkable without a tool, in a stopper shape), and that the supply source is Ben Tre province's dua xiem xanh. Japan's import conditions and quarantine treatment are outside the scope of this reporting and require individual confirmation by item. The uncertainty of repeat purchases, quality variation and gaps with promises that Khoa cited can, from the buyer's side, be read as a list of criteria for choosing a supplier. If you narrow down early to counterparts who can present specifications, freshness and a shipping track record in writing, you can leave room to talk volume and price even if US demand grows more than 20% a year as Tung expects.
Recommended related reading: Vietnamese green-skin pomelo exports to the US enter an expansion phase—the course by which Ben Tre province built out registered orchards and packing houses for the US with a different item. Export conditions differ by item, and for green-skin pomelo, irradiation treatment is a condition.
