Cheap Fresh Areca Nuts Sold Locally, While Vietnam Spends Millions to Import Processed Areca Candy.

Last year, Vietnam spent USD 16.5 million importing processed areca products from China, mostly areca candy, an increase of 2.6 times compared to 2023.

Market surveys show that Chinese areca candy is being imported into Vietnam in increasing volumes, and sold at prices dozens of times higher than locally grown fresh areca nuts.

At traditional markets, this candy is sold in 50-gram packs, priced between VND 120,000 and 250,000 (depending on the type). Each pack contains different flavors such as chocolate, mint, herbal, and goji berry, offering variety and appeal for consumers. Candy with goji berries is usually more expensive.#Vietnam Freight forwarder#freight forwarding#cargo courier service#international shipping companies#shipping service company

On e-commerce platforms, hundreds of shops also list this dried areca candy with various prices and brands. Many stores have sold thousands of packages.

Ms. Hoa, an online shop owner in Lao Cai, said she has been selling areca candy for three years, importing hundreds of boxes per batch for retail and wholesale.
“Regular customers tend to repurchase, while others order to try,” she shared. Thanks to social media, areca candy has become increasingly popular, with her shop’s imported volume rising by 30% compared to last year.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese areca nut prices also surged last year due to high demand from Chinese buyers. Vietnam exported USD 35 million worth of fresh areca nuts, a more than 120% increase year-on-year, reaching a record price of VND 85,000–90,000 per kilogram. Vietnam still mainly exports raw areca nuts without investing in value-added processing. This creates a paradox where Vietnam supplies the raw material but imports the processed product from China at prices dozens of times higher.

Although Vietnam is a major supplier of fresh areca nuts, it still spent USD 16.5 million importing processed areca products from China, a 160% increase compared to the same period last year. The majority of these imports are areca candy — a traditional Chinese snack packed in 50–100 gram packages, sold in Vietnam for VND 160,000–247,000, equivalent to VND 2.5–4 million per kilogram — dozens of times more expensive than domestic fresh areca.#Vietnam Freight forwarder#freight forwarding#cargo courier service#international shipping companies#shipping service company

According to Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, Secretary-General of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, domestic consumers rarely use this candy, and the demand mainly comes from Chinese residents in Vietnam or those buying it as a gift. Vietnam currently lacks large-scale processing plants for areca, so most exports remain in raw form.

Areca Candy on E-commerce Platforms

Chinese areca candy is favored for its sweet and mildly spicy flavor, similar to ginger candy, which helps keep the body warm and soothes sore throats, especially in cold weather.
It is made from young areca nuts, harvested before seeds have fully formed or when they are still very small. After being boiled, the areca is dried and deeply processed.

In the production chain, China assigns clear regional roles: Hainan province supplies the raw material, while Hunan province handles the processing. Last year, when Hainan’s areca supply was hit by disease, Chinese businesses increased purchases from Vietnam.

This wave of demand pushed up areca prices in central Vietnamese provinces such as Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh late last year to VND 85,000 per kilogram, 10 times higher than a few years ago.#Vietnam Freight forwarder#freight forwarding#cargo courier service#international shipping companies#shipping service company

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