Chinese grapes flood market

Lan Anh of Ho Chi Minh City's Go Vap District noted that shine muscat grapes imported from China cost VND90,000, cheaper than last year.

She recently bought five kilograms for just VND46,000 each, thanks to a bulk discount.

Despite being slightly inferior, Chinese shine muscat grapes are nowhere near as expensive as those from Japan, which can cost several million dong for a bunch weighing around 0.7 kilograms, she said.

Shine muscat grapes sold at the Thu Duc Agricultural Product Market in HCMC. Photo by Linh Dan

Chinese grapes can be found at wet markets, supermarkets and even online marketplaces.

The country, which previously only exported seedless green and red grapes to Vietnam, has diversified its offerings over the past two years.

Varieties traditionally imported from Japan, the U.S. and South Korea are now being grown and exported by China at much lower prices.

A report by the Thu Duc Agricultural Product Market in HCMC shows that it imported 117 tons of grapes from China in the first seven months of 2024, up 50% from a year ago.

The wholesale market’s operators said production of the fruit in Vietnam is low compared to demand and this year’s output has been particularly low due to unfavorable weather affecting quality and yield in Ninh Thuan Province, the country’s largest grape producer.

So imports from China and other countries have risen to meet demand, they said.

Red grapes sold at a wet market in HCMC. Photo by VnExpress/Thi Ha

Hong, a fruit importer at the market, said Chinese grapes are currently in season and importers can get huge discounts if they buy in bulk.

She imports around 10 tons from China each week and regularly sells out.

Thanh, an importer in District 12, said Chinese grapes are flooding the market and drawing customers with their competitive prices.

Chinese exporters package grapes in baskets or boxes of two, three and five kilograms, which makes them easier to sell.

According to the General Department of Customs, Vietnam imported nearly $500 million worth of fruits and vegetables from China in the first seven months, up 29% from a year ago. Grapes were the second most imported item after apples.