Vietnam's first "Green Lane" durian heads to China—end-to-end traceability from soil to shipment

On April 10, 2026, exports to China via the "Green Lane" system were realized for the first time for Vietnamese durian. Two containers loaded with about 14,000 durians from Bao Loc, Lam Dong Province, completed customs clearance at the Huu Nghi International Border Gate in Lang Son Province. From harvest to crossing the border, six days—a reduction of up to five days from the conventional 8–11 days. The QR-coded electronic label affixed to each individual fruit functions as a "digital ID" that encrypts and tracks the entire process from soil sampling to shipment.

The first shipment in full—from Lam Dong Province to Lang Son Province

The first Green Lane shipment began at a certified orchard in the Bao Loc area of Lam Dong Province. Packed in 10 kg and 18 kg cardboard boxes, the durians were loaded into two containers and, via the Huu Nghi International Border Gate, arrived at a logistics base in Pingxiang, China, the following day, April 11.

Under conventional export procedures, plant quarantine and the issuance of certificates of origin (C/O) were concentrated in central agencies, so it took 8–11 days from harvest to customs clearance. Under the Green Lane system, local authorities where the orchard is located can directly carry out quarantine procedures and C/O issuance, so this process was greatly compressed.

QR code × cryptographic authentication—a "digital ID" for each individual fruit

The core of the Green Lane system lies in traceability technology developed by the Anti-Counterfeiting Stamp and Materials Center under the Ministry of Public Security. The QR-coded electronic label, affixed directly to the fruit's stem at harvest, encrypts and records the following data.

• Cultivation stage: soil-sampling results, pesticide-use history, field code
• Harvest stage: harvest date and time, worker ID, label-affixing record
• Processing stage: monitoring data for the sorting and packing processes
• Logistics stage: temperature-control records, transport route, customs status

Each label is individually encrypted and authenticated, designed so that forgery or duplication is technically difficult. Importers on the Chinese side can confirm the fruit's entire history simply by scanning the QR code.

Export results and market size

* Converted at US$1 = 155 yen

Reactions on the ground and in the industry

Nguyen Quang Tin, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology at the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, said, "Traceability is not only a technical requirement of import markets but the very commitment to the quality and reliability of Vietnamese farm products."

Technology-partner companies, NETACOM among them, took charge of developing and operating the QR-code system and linked it with the Ministry of Public Security's anti-counterfeiting infrastructure. This system is expected to be rolled out to farm products other than durian going forward.

From durian farmers, there are voices that local quarantine and C/O issuance becoming possible leads to a "dual reduction of transport cost and time." The process that previously required sending documents to central agencies in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City has disappeared.

Impact on Japanese agricultural stakeholders

Vietnam's Green Lane system is a reference case for Japan's farm-product export strategy. In Japan too, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is promoting the spread of GI tags (geographical indication) and traceability systems, but a per-fruit digital ID is not yet at the implementation stage.

Vietnam's system is built on a relatively low-cost technology stack of "fruit → QR code → cryptographic authentication → cloud management," a design that even small and medium-sized Japanese regions can adopt. For Japanese fruit regions that want to expand exports to China and ASEAN, Vietnam's model becomes a candidate for technology transfer.

Ripple effects on the industry

Vietnam may overtake Thailand in 2026 to become the world's largest durian exporter. The success of the Green Lane system is institutional infrastructure that accelerates the achievement of this goal.

In the Chinese market, consumer distrust of origin fraud and quality fraud runs deep. If Vietnam makes blockchain-like cryptographic-authentication traceability its weapon, it can differentiate with the premium of "verifiable quality."Bac Giang lychee exports to China are also considering introducing similar traceability, a move that leads to raising the brand value of Vietnamese farm products as a whole.

Depending on the results of the January–June 2026 pilot period, Dong Thap Province's low-carbon rice and coffee, among other major export items, are expected to see the Green Lane applied more broadly.

Practical information

Summary

Affixing a QR code to each individual fruit and tracking it with encrypted data from soil to shipment—Vietnam's "Green Lane" is a leading case showing how far the digitalization of farm-product trade can go. Shortening customs days to six ties directly to reducing logistics costs, and the institutional foundation toward the 2026 export target of US$4.5 billion is in place. The "next move" of a Vietnam aiming to be the world's largest durian exporter was traceability that proves quality in numbers.

Source: Vietnam News (April 2026)、VietnamPlus