In September, Vietnam started regular trade in durian imports, breaking the dominance of fresh durian market in Thailand, and the import volume continued to rise. In October, the import amount of fresh durian from Vietnam exceeded that from Thailand, becoming the main market force. The price of Vietnamese durian fell sharply after the crazy rise in the initial stage of listing, which also led the price of Thai golden pillow durian to decline.

According to customs statistics, the amount of durian imported in October reached 653 million yuan, an increase of 29.4% over the same period of last year, and a year-on-year increase of 19.7% over September. From the perspective of import sources, Vietnam's durian imports amounted to 382 million yuan, while Thailand's imports amounted to 271 million yuan. This is the first time that Thailand has been ranked the first in the fresh durian market. The export of fresh durian from Thailand to China in October fell by 41.2% compared with the same period last year, reaching the lowest amount since October 2019. Vietnam's durian exports to China increased by 831% in October compared with September. The import volume of general trade is 379 million yuan, and the import volume of border trade is 3.4 million yuan.

In previous years, there was only Thai durian in the market, and the price remained high. However, after a large number of Vietnamese durian arrived in the market this year, Ganyao durian gradually became the market leader, and the market price also decreased. Although the quality of durian is slightly inferior to that of Thai durian, the price is cheaper, which indirectly led to the sharp decline of the overall market of durian. Recently, the price of Thai gold pillow has fallen from 1100 yuan per box (32 kg) in September to 700-900 yuan, while the price of Vietnamese Ganyao has dropped from 400 yuan per box (15 kg) just listed to 250-280 yuan, about 20% lower than the previous peak.

The concentrated import of Vietnam's Ganyao and its intolerant storage are the main reasons for this wave of price decline. Influenced by the epidemic prevention and control, a large number of durian were piled up at the early stage, and later concentrated into the market, with a generally high maturity. Vietnam's Ganyao Durian cannot bear to be released. As long as there is a crack, it will be shipped immediately. Now, with sufficient supply in the market, it can only be sold at a reduced price. Secondly, the weakening of domestic demand has also affected the price of durian. Since October, the wholesale markets of Guangzhou, Zhengzhou, Beijing, Jiaxing and other major imported durian have been closed down to varying degrees, and the number of market purchases has further decreased. Many fruit retail stores also put up a price of 19.9 yuan/jin, attracting more consumers with civilian prices.

Vietnam Ganyao is a local durian variety in Vietnam, which has been vigorously promoted by the market in recent years. It was launched from November at the end of the year to March of the next year. It belongs to medium and large fruit type, and can bear fruit after 4 years of grafting. The tree yield in 5 years is quite high and stable at about 46kg/tree/year. Its uniqueness lies in the taste at different maturity levels, and the experience is very different. For those who are good at durian, it is sweet and fragrant to eat it when it is seven ripe, with a little crispy; The eight ripe fruits are sweet and begin to have a strong durian flavor. The nine ripe fruits are not only golden, but also have a strong taste and a sense of hierarchy. They are the best choice for heavy taste durian lovers.

From January to October, Thailand's exports of durian to China reached 22.778 billion yuan. However, Vietnam's durian trade entered the Chinese market for more than a month, which undoubtedly challenged the market position of Thailand's durian in China. The Thai King Compass Research Center of Thailand once said that the market share of Thai durian in China may decline from 95.9% in 2021 to 90.4% in 2025 and 88.1% in 2030 due to the competition from neighboring countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia and the ongoing durian planting test in China. It is estimated that between 2025 and 2030, the market share of Thai durian in China will decrease by about 17.0-57 billion baht annually, or 200 billion baht in total.