Thailand emerges as a leading market for Vietnamese pepper

Recently, Thailand has emerged as one of the leading markets for Vietnamese pepper. According to the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, the country’s pepper imports have increased sharply. In the first three months of 2026, Thailand imported 3,368 tons of pepper worth USD 25 million, up 93% in volume and 76% in value compared to the same period in 2025.

Most of Thailand’s imported pepper comes from Viet Nam. In the first three months of the year, Thailand imported 2,962 tons of pepper from Viet Nam, worth USD 22 million. Vietnamese pepper accounted for as much as 88% of Thailand’s total pepper imports, far ahead of other suppliers, including Indonesia with 11%, Malaysia with 1.14%, China with 0.21%, and India with 0.01%.

Not only does Vietnamese pepper hold the largest market share in Thailand, but it also recorded exceptionally strong growth in the first quarter of this year, rising 106% in volume and 85% in value compared to the same period in 2025.

With imports from Viet Nam increasing sharply, Thailand is emerging as one of the largest export markets for Vietnamese pepper.

According to the Import-Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in the first four months of 2026, Viet Nam exported 4,300 tons of pepper to the Thai market, worth USD 31 million, representing a sharp increase of 130% in volume and 104% in value compared to the same period in 2025.

With this export volume, Thailand became the third-largest market for Vietnamese pepper during the first four months of the year, behind only the United States and Germany, accounting for 4.43% of Vietnam’s total pepper exports.

The Import-Export Department noted that several factors have driven Thailand to significantly increase its pepper imports, particularly from Vietnam.

First, demand for pepper in Thailand’s food processing industry has risen as the country continues to intensify efforts to attract international tourists.

In addition, Viet Nam and Thailand are geographically close, providing a major advantage at a time when transportation costs are soaring due to conflicts in the Middle East.

Furthermore, the price of pepper imported from Viet Nam is currently more competitive than supplies from other markets. In the first three months of 2026, the average price of Vietnamese pepper imported into Thailand stood at USD 7,314 per ton, lower than the overall average import price of USD 7,490 per ton and significantly lower than prices from other suppliers such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and China, which averaged USD 8,274 per ton, USD 12,636 per ton, and USD 10,846 per ton, respectively.

The Import-Export Department believes that, given these significant advantages, Viet Nam’s pepper exports to Thailand are expected to continue growing in the coming period as Thailand’s import demand rises to support its food processing and tourism industries.

Strong growth in the Thai market is also contributing positively to the overall expansion of Viet Nam’s pepper exports. In the first four months of this year, Viet Nam exported 96,800 tons of pepper worth nearly USD 623 million, up 32% in volume and 23% in value compared to the same period in 2025.

Robust export growth in both volume and value has helped pepper prices in the Central Highlands recover after a period of decline caused by the impact of conflicts in the Middle East. On May 20, pepper prices in the Central Highlands averaged around VND 142,000 per kilogram.

Mr. Nguyen Van Son, a pepper farmer in Bac Gia Nghia Ward, Lam Dong Province, said that for more than a month, pepper prices in the former Dak Nong area (Bac Gia Nghia Ward is now part of Gia Nghia City in the former Dak Nong Province) have consistently remained above VND 140,000 per kilogram.

According to Mr. Son, since pepper prices began rising again, his family and many pepper growers in the region have stopped selling as aggressively as before and are instead holding back their stock while waiting for better prices. As a result, despite daily fluctuations, pepper prices have consistently stayed above VND 140,000 per kilogram over the past several days.

Mr. Son expressed hope that pepper prices will continue to remain stable and gradually increase in the coming period, as farmers continue to hold onto their products while the harvest season has already ended with lower output compared to the 2025 pepper crop.

$1 = VND 26,391 (Source: Vietcombank).