Earning $38 billion, Vietnam's strengths receive more good news from the South Korean market.

Notably, South Korea has surpassed the US to become the second largest customer for Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exports. In the first half of this year, fruit and vegetable exports to this market reached $164 million, a 55.6% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Accordingly, among the top 10 key markets, export turnover to South Korea recorded strong growth, second only to Thailand.

Recently, the Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) announced more good news: Vietnamese pomelos have officially been allowed to be imported into the South Korean market.

Specifically, on July 30th, after three months of extensive consultation with relevant parties, the Korea Animal and Plant Quarantine Administration (APQA) officially announced on its website the import regulations for fresh pomelos from Vietnam to Korea.

According to the Plant Protection Department, since 2018, the unit has launched a program to open the market for Vietnamese pomelos exported to South Korea. However, the negotiation process only really accelerated after the Covid-19 pandemic.

After two years of collaboration and information exchange to facilitate the pest risk analysis process and numerous rounds of negotiations, the Plant Protection Department and APQA reached a technical agreement at a bilateral meeting in April 2024.

On July 18, 2024, the Plant Protection Department also posted on its website the draft requirements for plant quarantine and food safety for fresh pomelos imported from Vietnam into South Korea, so that interested organizations and individuals can learn about and understand these regulations in advance.

Thus, pomelo is the third fresh fruit from Vietnam allowed to be imported into South Korea, along with dragon fruit and mango.

Currently, Vietnam has approximately 105,400 hectares of pomelo orchards, with an estimated production of 905,000 tons. The varieties of pomelo are diverse, each characteristic of a particular region. Specifically, the Red River Delta has over 13,000 hectares with a production of over 175,000 tons; the northern mountainous and midland regions have over 30,000 hectares with a production of 253,000 tons. The Mekong Delta alone has about 32,000 hectares with a production of approximately 369,000 tons…

The fact that Vietnamese pomelos are allowed to be imported into South Korea is a significant step forward, opening up great opportunities for our agricultural products to access international markets, while affirming the quality and reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products in the global market.

Vietnamese pomelos are at their most scarce season, with some varieties costing twice as much . Vietnam's pomelo production reaches over 1.1 million tons annually, but at this time of year, prices are soaring, with some varieties doubling in value.