Four years ago, few people thought durian could be one of Vietnam's biggest export earners. Since exports to China started in 2022, the industry has broken records almost every year and is now one of Vietnam's fastest-growing agricultural sectors.

Durian exports were nearly 1.1 billion USD in the first six months of 2026, up 32% from last year. The strongest export season is still ahead. The Central Highlands harvest starts in August and lasts until October. Last year, monthly exports were almost 1 billion USD during this time.

Exports are still strong, so insiders think annual revenue could be over 4 billion USD, and maybe even 4.5 billion USD, which would help Vietnam compete with Thailand in China's durian market.

New policies have made this more likely. China's customs office officially recognized 18 more Vietnamese testing labs on July 31, making the total 50.

This change happened after some labs stopped working earlier this year, which slowed down customs clearance for shipments.

At the same time, the government is giving out codes for planting areas faster, in just three days, using a digital system.

The government is also trying to clean up the industry. Some officials were arrested for taking bribes and abusing power, which should make the industry fairer.

Experts say fake trading of planting area codes was a big problem. The crackdown should make overseas buyers trust the industry more.

Vietnam is also trying to sell durians to other countries, not just China.

India recently started buying Vietnamese durians, which is a new and promising market.

The head of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association thinks exports to India could make 50-100 million USD per year at first.

Vietnam started exporting durians to China four years ago. Exports were 400 million USD in 2022 and 2.2 billion USD in 2023.

Last year, exports were 3.8 billion USD, which is as much as some of Vietnam's other big exports like rice and shrimp.

Unlike some other exports, durians are grown and sold entirely in Vietnam, which means more money for local farmers.

Even though durian exports are growing fast, they still rely too much on China, which buys 90% of them. Experts say Vietnam should find new markets and make more processed durian products.