Malaysia imports large volumes of frozen durian

According to data from the International Trade Centre, Malaysia is significantly increasing imports of fruits and vegetables from Viet Nam.

In 2025, Viet Nam was the 7th-largest supplier of vegetables, fruits, and processed products to Malaysia, with export value reaching nearly $104 million, up 73% from 2024, accounting for 3.52% of total import value.

Malaysia is diversifying its supply sources to reduce dependence on major traditional markets, thereby creating opportunities for Vietnamese fruits and vegetables, as well as agricultural products in general.

Viet Nam’s fruit and vegetable sector has advantages in the Malaysian market thanks to preferential tariffs under agreements such as ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, with import tariffs nearly at 0%.

Viet Nam and Thailand are currently the two main suppliers of dragon fruit and frozen durian to Malaysia. Notably, Viet Nam’s Ri6 durian is widely imported for use as raw material in Halal food processing.

According to the Agency of Foreign Trade, Viet Nam has strong advantages in exporting specialty fresh fruits such as dragon fruit, mango, pomelo, and longan to Malaysia. In particular, Vietnamese pomelo has a competitive edge in quality compared to regional competitors.

For temperate vegetables, produce from Da Lat, such as cabbage, cauliflower, and carrots, also has strong potential, as Malaysia regularly imports these products to meet domestic demand.

Viet Nam’s processed products, including frozen fruits, dried fruits, and bottled juices, are well-positioned to meet seasonal demand and the needs of modern retail channels (supermarkets and convenience stores) in Malaysia.

To effectively tap into the Malaysian market in 2026, Viet Nam’s fruit and vegetable sector should pay attention to several technical barriers:

From 2026, Malaysia will strengthen monitoring of products without Halal labels in modern retail systems. Therefore, Halal certification is no longer optional but a mandatory requirement to enter major supermarkets.

Malaysia is also tightening control over pesticide residues and microorganisms in line with standards set by the Ministry of Health Malaysia.