Chinese Shine Muscat grape prices tumble to record low in Vietnam

Vendor Hoa in Thai Nguyen Province, northern Vietnam, recently imported 18 tons of the grapes, selling them at VND109,000 per box of 8-9 kilograms wholesale.

"This is the lowest price I have sold in the last four years," she said.

Shine Muscat grapes. Photo by Pixabay/vinywiny

First introduced to Vietnam in 2021 at around VND250,000 per kilogram, Shine Muscat grapes have seen a steady price decline over the years.

Despite the drop, quality remains uncompromised, according to Linh Anh, a vendor at Thu Duc Market in Ho Chi Minh City.

"Even though prices are at a record low, the quality of the fruit remains high," said Anh, who has imported 100 tons since late last month.

Retail prices now range from VND30,000 to VND60,000 per kilogram – considerably lower than Vietnamese-grown grapes.

Hanh, an HCMC retailer, sells about 20 nine-kilogram boxes at a time, both in-store and online.

"Prices have plunged by half from last year," she noted. "The grapes are big and shiny green. They are crunchy and sweet."

Wholesalers attribute the sharp decline in off-season Shine Muscat prices to a surge in production.

Originally cultivated in just a few Chinese regions, the variety is now grown across many provinces, including Guangxi, Guangdong, and Shanghai.

Advanced farming and preservation techniques have made the grapes available year-round, breaking their dependence on seasonal cycles.

Grapes rank as the third most imported fruit by value, with annual imports exceeding $160 million, according to Vietnam Customs.

China dominates Vietnam’s fruit import market, supplying 37% of the total.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates China’s grape production for the 2024-2025 season at 14.2 million tons.

Shine Muscat has overtaken traditional varieties like Red Globe and Kyoho as the country’s most popular grape.