{"id":1484,"date":"2026-08-17T19:21:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T10:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/?post_type=industry_news&p=1484"},"modified":"2026-08-17T19:21:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T10:21:34","slug":"dongthap-dried-mango","status":"publish","type":"industry_news","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/industry_news\/dongthap-dried-mango\/","title":{"rendered":"The 353 growing-area codes carrying Dong Thap's dried mango to Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dong Thap Province in the Mekong Delta has begun to bundle its mango region by \"numbers.\" Mango cultivation within the province is about 17,300 ha, with annual output exceeding 185,000 tonnes. Of this, 10,030.17 ha have obtained 353 region codes (ma so vung trong) and are aligning quality to the VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and organic standards. Within this, processing companies' soft-dried mango has begun to appear on Japanese shelves alongside China and Russia.<\/p>\n

For those in Japan handling dried fruit and dried vegetables in import and OEM sourcing, this move means one more sourcing route distinct from fresh fruit. From the viewpoint of a buyer who wants to confirm both the provenance of the raw material and the supply source of the processed goods at once, we break down the substance of the region's standardization.<\/p>\n

353 codes over 10,030.17 ha; the GI \"Cao Lanh\" underpins the mango<\/h2>\n

According to Le Chi Thien, Deputy Director of Dong Thap Province's Department of Agriculture and Environment, the province's mango cultivation area is about 17,300 ha, with annual output exceeding 185,000 tonnes. Region codes number 353 registered over 10,030.17 ha, which on an area basis works out to codes assigned to just under 60% of the total.<\/p>\n

The main varieties are Hoa Loc, known for sweetness and aroma; Cat Chu Cao Lanh, the export mainstay; and Tuong da xanh, which has a green skin and keeps well. The geographical indication (GI) \"Cao Lanh\" was registered in 2019 for the Cat Chu variety and others, and the region name itself functions as a backing of quality. Fresh-fruit export destinations extend to China, the US, Russia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and South Korea.<\/p>\n

Long Uyen's soft-dried mango enters Japan, with raw material running at 20\u201330 tonnes a day<\/h2>\n

On the processing floor, Long Uyen (headed by Phan Quoc Nam) has sourced export mangoes for six years and ships its own soft-dried mango (xoai say deo) to China, Russia, Japan, and the domestic market. Nam frames it as follows: \"Export mangoes have two directions: fresh fruit and raw material for processing.\" Even if the price collapses for fresh fruit, having an exit as processing raw material makes the region's earnings easier to stabilize.<\/p>\n

The absorptive capacity for raw material is also concrete. Tuan Dat (production manager Pham Vo Chi Ton) says of its soft-dried line, \"We source an average of 20\u201330 tonnes a day, mainly using Cat Chu and Hoa Loc.\" Because fruit that falls outside the fresh-fruit grades is also diverted to processing, it forms a structure that raises the yield of the region as a whole. The ability to switch the exit\u2014to fresh fruit in periods when fresh fruit sells high, and to processing raw material in periods when the market softens\u2014is the strength of a region that holds processing companies.<\/p>\n

On Japanese shelves, dried mango from Thailand and the Philippines has long held the standard position. Vietnam's Dong Thap product joining there, armed with region codes and certification, means that for buyers an alternative source increases, allowing them not to narrow their suppliers to a single country. Cat Chu has little fiber and high sweetness, so when soft-dried it finishes with a light mouthfeel\u2014a variety that can differentiate on texture from existing dried mango.<\/p>\n

Processed goods over fresh fruit: why Japan's dried-food sourcing looks beyond fresh produce<\/h2>\n

From the Japanese side, importing fresh mango carries heavy constraints of quarantine, freshness, and seasonality. Dried mango and frozen puree, on the other hand, allow long-term inventory at room temperature or frozen and can be used year-round as raw material for processed foods, confectionery, bread, and beverages. The trend of Japan's produce sourcing moving beyond fresh<\/a> within which Dong Thap's dried mango can be considered under the positioning of \"processing raw material whose provenance can be traced.\"<\/p>\n

This structure occurred first with durian. Even in a phase where the fresh-fruit market falls, diverting to freezing and processing makes the unit price jump<\/a> because it can absorb transport losses and seasonal fluctuations. Soft-dried mango follows the same logic and can be built in as a sourcing destination less exposed to fresh-fruit price risk. Here lies room for Japanese dried-fruit D2C brands and dried-food makers to add items without being tied to the seasons.<\/p>\n

The 353 codes and GAP hand traceability to the buyer<\/h2>\n

Region codes are a requirement for export customs clearance and, at the same time, a mechanism that lets buyers trace back \"from which field, with which certification, the fruit came.\" Dong Thap's effort to subdivide region codes down to the farmer level<\/a>, read together, shows that codes and GAP certification serve directly as the buyer's traceability documents.<\/p>\n

In practice, matching up code numbers, certification categories (VietGAP\/GlobalGAP\/organic), applicable varieties, and processable volume before ordering makes it easier to specify the region on a per-lot basis. Because processing companies operate on a two-track basis of fresh fruit and raw material, there is also room to negotiate \"buying as processed goods,\" not just sourcing fresh fruit. The fact that Long Uyen has built up six years of export sourcing is a guide that continuity of supply, not a one-off transaction, can be expected. The current state, with region codes covering just under 60% of the area, conversely means that ordering by specifying certified plots lets you narrow down to lots of certain provenance.<\/p>\n

What Japanese dried-vegetable and dried-fruit D2C can learn from Dong Thap<\/h2>\n

From the standpoint of handling dried vegetables and dried fruit domestically, Dong Thap's design can be translated directly into one's own raw-material strategy. The idea of diverting off-grade fruit to processing to raise yield, and the idea of securing provenance with region codes, hold up for domestic dried goods too.<\/p>\n