Vietnam's exports of fruit and vegetable are forecast to reach 6.5 billion U.S. dollars this year, after setting a record of nearly 5.6 billion dollars in 2023, Vietnam News reported Friday, citing the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Bright export prospects are fuelled by a huge demand of the Chinese market, with Vietnam negotiating for official export of more types of fruits, the newspaper said.

General Secretary of Vietnam Vegetable and Fruit Association Dang Phuc Nguyen predicted that the fruit and vegetable exports would expand by 15-20 percent in 2024 to set a new record high with the value to exceed 6 billion dollars or even 7 billion dollars.

In the first month of 2024, the country's fruit and vegetable exports hit 510 million dollars, an increase of 24.9 percent over December and 112.1 percent year on year.

Last year many Vietnamese fruits saw an impressive growth in export, such as durian by 430.1 percent to 2.2 billion dollars, dragon fruit with 523 million dollars, and jackfruit with 168 million dollars.