Vietnam has famous grape-growing regions, but the production is quite modest compared to domestic consumption needs. Therefore, grapes consistently rank among the top fruits imported into Vietnam every year.

Last year, after apples, the second most imported fruit in Vietnam was grapes, reaching $158.4 million (approximately VND 3,900 billion), accounting for 14.6% of the country's total fruit import value.

Currently, there are no specific statistics on grape import value, but this fruit is always prevalent in the Vietnamese market. Supermarkets, fruit stores, traditional markets, and even online marketplaces offer dozens of varieties of grapes imported from Japan, Australia, the US, and China. However, grapes imported from China remain the most popular.

Accordingly, not just one or two types, but nearly a dozen types of Chinese grapes are being sold in the Vietnamese market, such as: milk grapes, black corn milk grapes, Ruby grapes, red grapes, green grapes, etc. Notably, compared to imported grapes sold in the market, grapes originating from China are often very cheap, even extremely cheap.

imported grapes
Chinese grapes are widely available in Vietnamese markets. (Photo: Provided by the seller)

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhu (a fruit vendor in Cau Giay, Hanoi ) said that Chinese grapes are currently in their peak harvest season, so she imports and sells all kinds, from milk grapes and red grapes to corn grapes.

Today, she's selling seedless Ruby grapes and red grapes for only 50,000 VND/kg; milk grapes are as cheap as vegetables, only 130,000 VND per 6-7kg box (about 20,000 VND/kg). Two days ago, she brought in a batch of milk grapes in boxes of 3-4 bunches (clusters) and sold them for 200,000 VND, which works out to only about 70,000 VND/kg.

“Chinese grapes are all very cheap. Especially this year, even though it’s only the beginning of the milk grape season, a large quantity has already flooded Vietnamese markets at much lower prices than last year,” she shared. Therefore, grape sales have increased significantly. On average, Ms. Nhu sells around 1 ton of grapes per day, both wholesale and retail. Notably, last weekend, she received a 1.5-ton shipment of milk grapes, and they sold out in less than a day.

Ms. Thu Quynh, a sales clerk at a large fruit store chain in Hanoi, also admitted that many types of imported grapes are being sold at their stores. However, the most popular are still the Chinese milk grapes because of their low price.

According to Ms. Quynh, there are many varieties of milk grapes flooding Vietnamese markets, with prices ranging from 60,000 to 140,000 VND/kg. At the chain of stores where she works, the price varies depending on each batch.

She cited an example: on July 1st, the store imported a batch of milk grapes, packaged in 1.5kg boxes, and sold them for only 100,000 VND per box. The store received 2,500 boxes and they were still sold out. This is because early-season milk grapes are inexpensive, crunchy, sweet, and have a milky aroma, so most customers order 2-3 boxes at a time. Some even buy 5-10 boxes at a time.

Yesterday morning, the store received a batch of milk grapes weighing 600-700 grams per bunch, selling for 65,000 VND per bunch. Customers rushed to buy nearly 3,000 bunches, according to Ms. Quynh.

Similar to apples, Ms. Quynh said that grapes are imported year-round, not seasonally. However, summer is the peak season, when grapes are harvested in other countries, so large quantities flood into Vietnam. As a rule, the more grapes that arrive, the cheaper the price will be. Therefore, she predicts that milk grapes will become even cheaper than they are now in the near future.

With nearly $2 billion spent on imports, which fruits flood the Vietnamese market the most? To meet consumer demand, Vietnam spends nearly $2 billion importing various fruits and vegetables, primarily from China. So, which fruits are imported and sold most frequently in the Vietnamese market?