{"id":1245,"date":"2026-06-21T00:51:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T15:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/?post_type=industry_news&p=1245"},"modified":"2026-06-21T00:51:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T15:51:00","slug":"lychee-export-peak","status":"publish","type":"industry_news","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/industry_news\/lychee-export-peak\/","title":{"rendered":"Even in a poor harvest, unstoppable: Vietnamese lychee ships to Japan, Australia, the UK, and the EU at peak"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vietnamese lychee (v\u1ea3i thi\u1ec1u in Vietnamese) is reaching its June shipping peak. In 2026, weather dragged the early-variety harvest sharply below the same period last year, and farmgate prices rose to levels never seen before. Even so, exports have not stopped, and sea and air shipments bound for Japan, Australia, the UK and the EU are underway. Precisely because it is a year of thin supply, it will be a summer that tests the precision of Japanese produce buyers' procurement planning \u2014 what to secure, from which growing area, in which window.<\/p>\n

Gist of the originating news<\/h2>\n

According to the Vietnamese business newspaper VnEconomy, the early-variety lychee harvest for the 2026 season is estimated at 85,000 to 90,000 tonnes<\/strong> only, and compared with the same period last year it 35\u301c50%<\/strong> fell. Erratic weather during the flowering period is cited as the main cause. With supply squeezed, farmgate purchase prices rose to 50,000\u201395,000 VND per kg (roughly 300\u2013570 yen, converting 10,000 VND at about 60 yen), the highest level in several years. At retail, prices range from 60,000 to 180,000 VND per kg (about 360\u20131,080 yen) depending on quality.<\/p>\n

The price movements themselves are covered in detail in a separate article. This article focuses on why exports continue even in a poor-harvest year and on how the shipping peak aligns with the Japanese market.<\/p>\n

Background and full picture \u2014 the export shift 'from volume to quality'<\/h2>\n

Vietnam ranks second in the world in lychee production. Its largest export market is still China, but in recent years the main northern growing areas have pushed to develop higher-priced markets. After administrative restructuring, the two leading growing areas are now Bac Ninh province in the north (which includes the former Bac Giang province) and Hai Phong City (which includes the Thanh Ha district of the former Hai Duong province), and both areas have built up growing-area codes and sorting-and-packing facility codes for markets with strict quarantine standards such as Japan, the US, Australia, the UK, the EU and Singapore.<\/p>\n

Thanh Ha lychee on the Hai Phong side is shipped continuously to the premium markets of the US, Japan, Australia, the UK and the EU. Luc Ngan lychee on the Bac Ninh side is a small, intensely flavored variety known as the 'home of lychee,' and it too has obtained area codes for overseas markets including Japan. The more the total volume shrinks in a poor-harvest year, the stronger the incentive for areas that cannot compete on volume to concentrate their shipments on high-price export markets. This is the substance of the picture in which exports do not stop even in a poor harvest.<\/p>\n

Harvest calendar and shipping peak<\/h2>\n

The window in which lychee is available is short. What Japanese buyers should note is that each area's harvest peak is concentrated in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Category<\/th>\nMain origins<\/th>\nApproximate timing<\/th>\nCharacteristics<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Early varieties<\/td>\nTan Yen (former Bac Giang)<\/td>\nLate May to early June<\/td>\nSlightly smaller than the main-season fruit; reaches the market ahead of it<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Main season<\/td>\nLuc Ngan \/ Chu, Thanh Ha<\/td>\nMid-June to early July<\/td>\nFruit is at its largest and sweetest, and volume comes together<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Late varieties and tail end<\/td>\nAll growing areas<\/td>\nLate July<\/td>\nThe harvest tapers off and prices fall<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

In other words, June through early July is the golden window for exports, when both quality and quantity are best aligned. If you want to feature 'this year's Vietnamese lychee' on Japanese shelves, the decisive point is how to secure the arrivals from this main season.<\/p>\n

Reactions on the ground and in the industry<\/h2>\n

Pulling together local press reports and the views of those involved, this year's mood is one of strong demand despite the poor harvest. There is a difference in temperature between the growing side and the import side in how orders are moving.<\/p>\n

The growing side \u2014 voices worried about a shortage of good fruit<\/h3>\n

Export orders are at or above last year's level, and within the industry there are in fact voices worried that good fruit for export will run short. Even after the administrative restructuring, efforts to maintain growing-area codes and sorting facilities stand out, and there is a growing recognition that in years when total volume is hard to predict, the ability to supply coded, good-quality fruit steadily shapes an area's reputation.<\/p>\n

The import and distribution side \u2014 certainty over volume<\/h3>\n

In high-price years, buyers tend to swing toward not forcing volume but planning to secure good fruit that is sure to arrive. Because the top-grade lots flown in by air command even higher prices at local retail, the air-freight portion tends to become trade that prioritizes freshness and certainty over quantity.<\/p>\n

Implications for Japanese produce buyers<\/h2>\n

In a poor-harvest, high-price year, procurement decisions polarize. One is 'prices are unpredictable, so skip this year'; the other is 'don't miss the short season, and secure a thin but certain amount.' If you choose the latter, there are three points worth keeping in mind.<\/p>\n

1. Bring orders forward on the premise that the season is short<\/h3>\n

Lychee's main season is concentrated in roughly the three weeks from mid-June to early July. Working backward from when you want to sell on the shelf, it is realistic to lock in orders at the start of the main season.<\/p>\n