[Breaking: April 15, 2026] Vietnamese President To Lam made an official visit to China on April 14-17 and built a new framework for agricultural cooperation between the two countries. In 2025, Vietnam's exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products to China reached US$15.97 billion, up 41.1% year on year. Thirty-three agreements and protocols have now been concluded, and joint investment in cold-chain logistics and post-harvest technology has emerged as a priority for the next phase.
Rapid growth of agricultural exports to China: record highs for a third straight year
China has rapidly grown in importance in recent years as the largest destination for Vietnamese agricultural products. The trend in export value since 2023 makes the momentum clear.
| Year | Agricultural export value to China | Year on year |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | ~US$12.8 billion | +about 20% |
| 2024 | US$14.8 billion | +14.6% |
| 2025 | US$15.97 billion | +41.1% (record high) |
China's share of Vietnam's total agricultural, forestry and fishery exports is the largest of any single country, and exports to China play an extremely large role in achieving the 2025 total export target of US$73-74 billion (see: Vietnam's food-safety Decree 46 centralizes export control）。
The reality of the 33 agreements and protocols: what is changing
Thirty-three agreements and protocols related to agricultural exports have now been concluded between the two countries, with five new protocols added in 2025 alone. Especially noteworthy is the "standardization of technical procedures for 15 fruit and vegetable items." Nine items are currently managed under formal protocols, and standardization talks are under way for the remaining six.
In addition, compliance with China Customs' Decree 248 (mandatory registration of food manufacturing and processing facilities) and Decree 249 (food import control) has become a practical obligation for all Vietnamese agricultural exporters. Putting plantation and packaging facility codes in order and ensuring full traceability is a precondition for continued exports (see: Durian "green lane" system enables full QR-code tracking）。
Why cold-chain investment becomes the next axis of competition
The most important theme to emerge from President To Lam's visit to China is "joint investment in cold-chain logistics and post-harvest technology." This is directly tied to the biggest structural challenge facing Vietnamese agriculture.
At present, one of the biggest barriers to Vietnam's agricultural exports is logistics costs, said to reach 20-25% of production costs (see: Vietnam's agricultural logistics-cost problem). Building out refrigerated trucks, cold-storage warehouses and port cold-storage facilities is essential both to expanding agricultural export volume and to raising added value.
China provides its own refrigerated-logistics technology and equipment, while Vietnam handles the development of growing regions and the supply of produce. This division-of-roles model is seen as the core of the new framework.
Three practical tasks Vietnamese agricultural exporters should address now
In light of the new framework, the tasks exporters and agricultural stakeholders should tackle immediately are as follows.
- Fully completing Decree 248 and 249 compliance: Thoroughly review facility registration, code management and traceability documents. If any facility is unregistered, immediate application is required.
- Drawing up a cold-chain equipment investment plan: Investment in refrigeration equipment may be encouraged as a priority area of Vietnam-China cooperation. Gather financing and subsidy information early.
- Tracking negotiations to add protocols: If your products are among the six items (those without a concluded protocol) for which technical-procedure standardization is advancing, check the status and move proactively.
Vietnam's competitive edge: 16 FTAs and the smart border gate
Behind the growth of exports to China lies a structural competitive edge that Vietnam holds. On top of the favorable tariff environment created by 16 free trade agreements (FTAs), the "smart border gate model" on the northern border has brought efficiency to customs clearance and logistics. Tropical agricultural resources and geographic connectivity to Southeast Asia and India make agricultural cooperation with China even more significant.
Sources and references
- Vietnam Investment Review, "Vietnam-China deepen agricultural cooperation framework" (April 14, 2026): https://vir.com.vn/vietnam-china-deepen-agricultural-cooperation-framework-150562.html
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, agricultural export statistics (2025-2026)
