Fruit and vegetable exports in the first quarter reached over 1.1 billion USD
Durian is one of the commodities with high export value. Illustration photo: Nguyen Thuy
Fruit and vegetable export turnover in March reached nearly 421 million USD, up over 34% over the previous month. However, compared to the same period in 2024, export turnover decreased over 10%.
On March 21, the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association said that preliminary statistics from the General Department of Customs showed that fruit and vegetable import and export turnover in March had fluctuations, reflecting both opportunities and challenges for the Vietnamese fruit and vegetable industry.
Preliminary export turnover of fruits and vegetables in March reached nearly 421 million USD, an increase of over 34% compared to the previous month. However, compared to the same period in 2024, export turnover decreased by over 10%.
In the first 3 months of 2025, the total export turnover of fruits and vegetables is estimated at over 1.1 billion USD, down over 13% compared to the first 3 months of 2024.
China is still the leading market for importing Vietnamese fruits and vegetables. Next are the United States, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Australia, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, the Netherlands, etc.
On the other hand, the import turnover of fruits and vegetables in March is estimated at over 172 million USD, up 4.2% over the previous month and up 6.5% over the same period last year.
Total fruit and vegetable import turnover in the first 3 months of 2025 reached nearly 578 USD, an increase of over 17% over the same period in 2024. This increase reflects domestic consumption demand and demand for imported raw materials for processing, and also shows a stable aspect in the supply of fruits and vegetables.
Although exports decreased compared to the same period last year, the fruit and vegetable industry still maintained a positive trade balance. In March, the fruit and vegetable trade surplus reached nearly 249 million USD, and in the first 3 months of the year, the trade surplus reached nearly 522 million USD. This trade surplus shows that despite pressure from many market factors, the industry still maintains its competitive position in the international market.
The rate of small businesses in Vietnam recorded the highest growth in the past 4 years.
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Small businesses in Vietnam are considered to have the most development prospects in the Asia-Pacific region, both in terms of business and economy .
According to CPA Australia's annual survey, Vietnamese small businesses had a successful year in 2024, with 82% of businesses participating in the survey recording growth, up from 77% in 2023 - the highest level since 2019, according to CPA Australia's annual survey of small businesses.
This growth trend is forecast to continue in 2025, with 92% of small businesses expecting to expand operations, the highest rate among the 11 markets surveyed.
Vietnam’s economic growth expectations are equally strong, with 93% of small businesses forecasting economic growth in 2025, well above the Asia- Pacific average of 67%. This is also the highest rate among the markets surveyed.
Easier access to capital will also help boost growth. In 2024, 80% of small businesses in Vietnam will raise external capital to expand their operations, up from 73% in 2023.
In addition, small businesses in Vietnam are also focusing more on international markets. It is expected that by 2025, revenue from foreign markets will improve significantly, reaching 28%, up from 15% in 2024. This progress shows the strong growth of Vietnamese small businesses, promoting global competitiveness in the face of world economic instability.
Investments in technology continue to yield high and rapid returns, with 88% of small businesses improving their profits over the past year thanks to technology investments. Notably, the proportion of small businesses in Vietnam investing in artificial intelligence (AI) in 2024 will double compared to 2023, reaching 44%, with nearly half of businesses applying AI for business consulting.
Despite this, small businesses in Vietnam still face cybersecurity issues. In 2024, 60% of businesses reported losing time or money due to cyberattacks, significantly higher than the survey average of 40%.
Cybersecurity risks are expected to continue this year. According to the survey, 68% of businesses are concerned about being targeted by an attack – the highest rate of any market surveyed. This highlights the importance of strengthening cybersecurity measures.
As small businesses in Vietnam increasingly integrate technology into their operations, ensuring strong cybersecurity will be key to maintaining business success.
Airfare prices on April 30 increased sharply
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Airfares for the April 30 holiday have started to "heat up", with some routes nearly doubling compared to normal days.
Notably, the round-trip ticket price for the Hanoi - Con Dao route (departing on April 29, returning on May 3) of both Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air is up to more than 8 million VND/ticket, an increase of more than 3.5 million VND compared to normal days.
Another route with a high ticket price increase is Hanoi - Phu Quoc. Accordingly, the round-trip ticket price (departing on April 29, returning on May 3) of Vietnam Airlines is 6,820,000 VND, of Vietjet Air is 5,901,000 VND, of Pacific Airlines is 5,762,000 VND. This price is 1.5 - 2.5 million VND higher than the current price.
For the "golden" route Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi and vice versa, the round-trip economy class ticket price of Vietnam Airlines for 4 days from April 29 to May 3 is 5,286,000 VND; of Vietjet Air is 4,196,000 VND, of Bamboo Airway is 5,382,000 VND; of Pacific Airlines is 5,286,000 VND and of Vietravel Airlines is 5,499,000 VND, an increase of 1.2 - 2.2 million VND compared to the flight time from March 25 to April 15.
Round-trip economy class tickets from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to some tourist destinations such as Da Nang, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Buon Ma Thuot... from March 29 to May 3 also increased by 890,000 - 1.5 million VND/ticket.
Like every year, although ticket prices are higher than usual, at this time, many flights are "sold out". Flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang by Vietnam Airlines are sold out for the 8:00, 9:05, and 10:00 hours on April 30. Some other flights on this day only have a few seats left.
Similarly, Vietjet Air flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc on April 30 were also "sold out" in the 9:20-10:20 time slot for all flight classes.
Many international flights are cheaper than domestic flights
Specifically, also during this period, Bamboo Airway's Ho Chi Minh City - Bangkok flight costs VND5,517,000; Vietjet Air's is VND5,951,000 and Thai Airways' is VND7,451,000...
The round-trip ticket price for the Hanoi - Beijing flight of Vietjet Air is 9,281,000 VND, of Shenzhen Airlines (China), connecting flight from Hanoi - Shenzhen - Beijing is only 5,936,000 VND...
With domestic airfares rising on April 30, while some international airfares are quite affordable, many economic experts fear that tourists may switch to traveling abroad more. This is not good because it may force travel agencies to "import" foreign tours to sell to domestic customers. Thus, a large source of revenue will be sent abroad.
In addition, the increase in domestic airfares will also reduce the competitiveness of the aviation industry with other transportation industries. This change in habits also has a strong impact on the domestic tourism market. Because when people travel by personal vehicles or cars, trains, it will take them more time. Therefore, the time spent staying, shopping, and using tourism services will also decrease.
Furthermore, customers will also only choose nearby destinations that are convenient to travel to and save costs and time.
Thus, it can be seen that the tourism industry is heavily affected by the increase in domestic airfares.
Wholesale rice prices in Japan set new record
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Wholesale rice prices in Japan continued to set new records in February, marking the sixth consecutive month of increase.
According to the latest report on rice prices in February just released by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the average price of brown rice harvested in 2024 was sold at more than 26,000 Yen (about 4.5 million VND) for each 60 kg bag of rice, up 73% over the same period last year. This is the highest level since statistics were compiled in 1990.
February also coincided with the Japanese Government's announcement of a policy to release rice reserves, but it has yet to show any effectiveness.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the impact of the release of rice reserves was largely ignored in the survey. The agency explained that the congestion in rice distribution was due to the reluctance of small and medium-sized enterprises to sell. Since small and medium-sized enterprises were not included in the transaction price survey, the situation of these enterprises liquidating their rice stocks at low prices due to the release of rice reserves was not reflected in the survey results.
In the first release, 150,000 tons of reserve rice were auctioned from March 10 to 12. The second release of 70,000 tons is expected to take place from March 26 to 28.
Some surveys also show that the fear of rising rice prices has caused Japanese people to hoard more rice, especially since last summer. This has led to an increase in actual rice consumption, hindering efforts to control rice prices by releasing Japan's rice reserves.
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Source: https://baohaugiang.com.vn/kinh-te/ban-tin-kinh-te-thi-truong-ngay-22-3-2025-xuat-khau-rau-qua-quy-1-dat-tren-1-1-ty-usd-140374.html
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