HCMC – The California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) has identified Vietnam as a strategic export market for its peaches and nectarines.
“The California stone fruit industry has identified Vietnam as a strategic export market because Vietnamese consumers appreciate high-quality fruits with high brix (sweetness),” said Caroline Stringer, trade director at CFFA. She was speaking during the 2026 peach and nectarine training seminar in HCMC on April 14, attended by industry representatives and officials from the U.S. Consulate General in HCMC.
Vietnamese consumers favor high-quality fruit with high sweetness levels, making the market a priority for California growers, according to her. “Opening this market is something our industry has worked toward for a long time,” she added.
The 2026 season also marks the implementation of a “systems approach” approved by Vietnam’s Plant Protection Department, which allows certain shipments to bypass fumigation.
Michael Thurlow of Mountain View Fruit Sales described the systems approach as a science-based risk management strategy that combines multiple overlapping and continuous safeguards across the supply chain to ensure phytosanitary safety.
Under this protocol, delivery time from harvest to Vietnam can be reduced to two days, compared with three days for fumigated fruit, according to exporter Mountain View Fruit Sales. Fruit is transported in refrigerated containers, packed with temperature-control gel packs, and shipped in climate-controlled aircraft holds.
Exporters pointed to logistics costs, particularly fuel, as a key challenge. They called for closer coordination between suppliers and importers and voiced support for ongoing tariff reduction discussions between the U.S. and Vietnam.
