HO CHI MINH CITY: With a record export value of more than US$5.2bil in 2025, cashews surpassed the US$5bil mark for the first time, becoming Vietnam’s third-largest agricultural export commodity after coffee and fruits & vegetables, according to Vietnam Customs.
In addition to setting a new value record, cashew exports in 2025 also reached a new volume high of 766,585 tonnes, up 5.7% from 2024.
According to the latest data from Vietnam Customs, cashew exports in December 2025 alone reached US$466mil, a sharp year-on-year (y-o-y) increase of 29%.
This strong year-end surge lifted total export turnover for the year to more than US$5.2bil, a y-o-y increase of 5.7%, officially placing cashews in the “US$5bil club” alongside fruits and vegetables, coffee and rice.
This marked the second consecutive year in which the cashew industry broke export value records, with the sector’s export revenue surpassing US$4bil for the first time in 2024.
Against the backdrop of declining rice export earnings, cashews rose to third place among Vietnam’s key agricultural exports, trailing only coffee (US$8.9bil) and fruits and vegetables (US$8.56bil).
In 2025, China overtook the United States for the first time to become the largest market for Vietnamese cashews, with export value reaching US$1.1bil.
The United States slipped to second place with US$975mil, followed by the Netherlands at US$495mil.
Bach Khanh Nhut, vice-chairman of the Vietnam Cashew Association, said exports to China surged, thanks to the recovery of the Chinese economy, rising demand for health-oriented agricultural products, and Vietnamese enterprises’ improved ability to meet market requirements.
In contrast, cashew exports to the United States declined significantly.
Nhut explained that from April 2025, after the US announced plans to impose tariffs on trading partners, many US importers temporarily halted purchases amid uncertainty over potential tariff liabilities when shipments arrived.
This uncertainty adversely impacted Vietnam’s cashew exports to the United States. — Viet Nam News/ANN
