This marks the first time Vietnam has adopted a unified and mandatory procedure covering the entire supply chain of fresh durians from production, harvesting, transportation and storage to packaging and export.
The move comes as durian exports have been rapidly increasing in volume and expanding their market share in high-standard markets such as China, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Europe.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment indicated that the procedure aims to tighten food safety control as well as establish a comprehensive monitoring system from growing areas to packaging facilities and export shipments.
The regulation applies to all organizations and individuals in the durian export chain, including traders who do not handle processing but are named as exporters.
Under the requirements set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, all growing areas and packaging facilities must be inspected, monitored, assigned identification codes and listed by the importing country as officially recognized.
Even if they already hold international certifications such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP, HACCP, or ISO 22000, facilities are still required to undergo periodic assessments or sign commitments and undergo inspections to ensure compliance with those commitments.
For the first time, specific responsibilities have been established for the storage and transportation of durians, with packaging facilities primarily accountable for ensuring the safety of input materials.
For export shipments, if the importing country requires an official food safety certificate issued by Vietnamese authorities, businesses must register for inspection and obtain confirmation of compliance before proceeding with export.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has instructed provincial Departments of Agriculture and Environment, the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Authority and relevant agencies to conduct regular monitoring, perform random sampling and strictly handle any violations.
Local authorities are also required to submit monthly reports listing newly certified growing areas and packaging facilities, ensuring timely updates to the list recognized by the importing countries.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment stated that the newly issued procedure marks a decisive step toward increasing transparency and elevating the quality of Vietnamese durians.
The initiative is to ensure traceability by stopping the use of shared identification codes and avoiding potential export restrictions.
