Surging prices drive lychee exports down
Lychee exports fell by 51% year-on-year to US$16.4 million in the first half of 2026 as higher prices of the fruit dented competitiveness.
Vietnam's lychee exports plummeted in the latest period, falling to just 0.8% of the country's fruit and vegetable exports, down from 2.05% the previous year, according to customs data. The sharp decline in exports is attributed to rising domestic lychee prices, increasing costs of air freight and cold storage, and a rare seedless variety grown in Thanh Hoa province experiencing a price double due to sharply reduced yields.
The decline in exports can be directly linked to adverse weather conditions during this year's flowering and fruit-setting stages, which led to a poor harvest, with Bac Ninh's output dropping nearly 36% year-on-year to 131,560 tons.
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