Nguyen Thanh Binh, president of the Vietnamese Fruit and Vegetable Association, said he expects a positive outlook for Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exports in 2023, especially durian. China remains the largest importer of durian from Vietnam, while other major export destinations include Australia, the United States, and Japan.

China imports more than $1 billion of bananas from Southeast Asian countries every year, and Vietnam is China's second largest supplier of bananas. Banana exports are also expected to exceed $300 million thanks to an agreement signed with China in November 2022.

Vietnam exported nearly $1.4 billion worth of pitaya, bananas and durians in 2022. Durian exports surged to $421 million in the fourth quarter of 2022, up 137 percent from the same period last year. Banana exports also saw strong growth, reaching $311 million, up 34.5 percent year on year.

Border crossings between China and Vietnam have seen a boom in goods trade. From Jan. 1 to Feb. 13, Lang Son border crossings send 220,000 tons of fruit to China, a 40 percent increase from a year earlier. Lang Son port imports and exports of goods reach $185.5 million in January, with exports reaching $84.4 million, up 165.5% from a year earlier, according to reports from the province's customs department. At present, more than 700 vehicles enter and exit Lang Son port for customs clearance every day, mainly for fruit.

China's reopening has driven up the price of many agricultural products in Vietnam so far this year, with fruit seeing the biggest increase: local red meat pitaya at 38,000 dong/kg (11 yuan/kg) and white meat pitaya at 25,000 dong/kg (7.2 yuan/kg); The price of durian is 9-140,000 dong (about 26-41 yuan) per kilogram; The price for cherimoya is 50,000-60,000 dong (about 14-17 yuan) per kg and for jackfruit is 18,000-25,000 dong (about 5-14 yuan).

Other agricultural products, such as sweet potatoes, taro and watermelon, are also up more than a year ago, with sweet potatoes fetching 14,000 dong (4 yuan) per kilogram, up 50 percent from a year earlier. Ms Thanh Mai, an agricultural trader, said the lowest price per kilogram of sweet potatoes was 3,000-6,000 dong (0.9-1.8 yuan) during the COVID-19 pandemic, but since China opened up, export purchases have increased and purchase prices have reached their highest in nearly four years. The sweet potato season in the Central Highlands is now over, production is low and prices will continue to climb.

Vietnamese exporters have seen 20-50% year-on-year growth in purchases and exports. For example, Hoa Cuong Fruit import and Export Co. Ltd. purchases 300-500 tons of dragon fruit daily, which is already 70% of the factory's previous capacity.

According to Dang Phuc Nguyen, secretary-general of the Vietnamese Fruit and Vegetable Association, durian and jackfruit were among the earliest fruit varieties to benefit from a series of agreements signed between China and Vietnam during General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to China in early November 2022.

At present, China's market share in Vietnam's agriculture, forestry and fishery exports is 19.2 percent, which still has huge growth potential. According to a report by Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, China imports nearly $10 billion of agricultural products from Vietnam every year, and exports to China usually account for more than half of Vietnam's total fruit and vegetable exports. Le Minh Hoan, Vietnam's minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said in the 2022 review report that Vietnam must consider China as an important export market because of its large population, convenient transportation and proximity to Vietnam.