For 21 consecutive years, China has remained Vietnam’s largest trading partner. Conversely, Vietnam is China’s fourth-largest trading partner globally and its biggest within ASEAN.

Data from Vietnam Customs shows that during the ten-month period of 2025, China imported more than US$8.7 billion worth of Vietnamese farm produce. As Chinese demand grows for high-quality, fresh goods, the market still offers ample space for Vietnamese exporters. Chinese consumers are steadily shifting toward fresh, clean and traceable agricultural products, a trend in line with Vietnam’s key exporters such as tropical fruits, seafood and processed goods.

With more than 30,000 hectares of farmland under effective cultivation, Nguyen Tuan Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Gia Lai Provincial People’s Committee, said the province has abundant raw materials for processing industries including coffee, durian, pepper and passion fruit, which are being upgraded in quality, traceability and planting-area codes to meet export requirements.

“Gia Lai has planned new industrial parks linked with material zones to form closed production chains. The province is calling on Chinese enterprises to co-develop raw-material areas, build supply chains and transfer technology,” Thanh said.

As Vietnam’s international integration deepens, China is  one of its largest and most important export destinations, especially for agricultural products, seafood, foodstuffs, wood products and consumer goods.

According to Do Thi Minh Tram, Deputy Director General of the Department of Innovation, Green Transition and Industrial Promotion under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Chinese partners are setting increasingly strict demands regarding quality, traceability, packaging, preservation and distribution, posing challenges for businesses, cooperatives and farming households.

Experts note that the Chinese market is not only the biggest outlet for Vietnamese goods but also a platform for Vietnam to reposition quality, boost value and diversify products. China continues to be a priority market with strong growth across many Vietnamese product categories.

Building on this foundation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is urged to craft a comprehensive strategy for sustainable export expansion.

Nong Duc Lai, Vietnam’s Trade Counselor in China, said that to maximize market potential in the new period, Vietnam needs a set of both urgent and long-term solutions. China is accelerating the enforcement of strict rules on food safety, processor registration and traceability, such as Order No. 280.

“If Vietnamese exporters fail to stay one step ahead, shipments could be halted immediately. It is essential to standardize the entire production chain under GAP and HACCP; apply planting-area and farming-area codes; build a digital database for agricultural traceability; and invest in on-site residue and quality control. At the same time, diversify products and increase deep processing. Diversification not only improves profit margins but also helps businesses avoid seasonal or policy-driven disruptions,” Lai said.

He also urged businesses to expand cross-border e-commerce channels. Calling it a “new goldmine,” he said Vietnamese firms should partner with major Chinese distributors to open official stores on reputable e-commerce platforms. Packaging, visuals and labeling should be tailored to Chinese consumer preferences. Aside from being a sales channel, e-commerce functions as a marketing tool that helps Vietnamese goods establish a firm presence in China’s domestic market.

“Enterprises should make full use of trade promotion events and develop specialized logistics for agricultural and aquatic products. To compete with domestic Chinese goods, Vietnam needs cold-storage systems at border areas; professional logistics centers in Lang Son, Quang Ninh and Lao Cai; and fast, cold-chain, official-route transport services. Lower logistics costs can become an invisible advantage for Vietnamese goods to expand market share,” Lai added.

The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has carried out a wide range of measures to help domestic businesses tap the Chinese market more effectively, including sending delegations to major fairs in Kunming, Nanning and Shanghai; developing a “Vietnam National Pavilion” on Alibaba; organizing direct business-matching events in Vietnam with Chinese enterprises; and compiling official-export guidelines.

Leveraging product strengths, geographic advantages and policy conditions will help Vietnamese exporters enhance competitiveness, widen market access and contribute to economic growth targets in the new phase.

According to Vietnam Customs, bilateral trade between Vietnam and China continues to improve and is on track to hit a new record in 2025. During the past  ten months alone, the figure reached US$207.8 billion, surpassing the US$202.2 billion recorded for the whole of 2024.

Vietnam-China economic ties reach unprecedented level

VOV.VN - Professor Cui Hongjian of the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University has offered in-depth assessments of the current state and prospects of economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and China as regional and global developments grow increasingly complex.