Vietnam has expansive farming regions for crops like cassava, sweet potatoes, bananas, and lemons. These crops are usually grown for their tubers and fruits. After harvesting, the remaining stems and leaves are commonly repurposed by farmers as organic fertilizer or animal feed.

However, many enterprises have now seized the opportunity to capitalize on the abundant supply of plant leaves for export, earning hundreds of billions of dong in return.

According to data from the General Department of Customs, by the end of August 2025, Vietnam’s total export turnover of plant leaves had reached $15.1 million (approximately 392 billion VND). All types of exported leaves recorded strong growth, with increases ranging from 12.5% to 84.3% compared to the same period last year.

Specifically, leaf exports brought in nearly $8.7 million, a 26.9% increase year-on-year. This category had the highest export turnover among all types of plant leaf products.

Cassava leaves ranked second, generating nearly $2.8 million, up 12.5%, followed by bay leaves with $1.2 million, marking an impressive 68.5% increase.

Banana, sweet potato, and lemon leaves earned $815,000, $873,000, and $732,000 respectively. Compared to the same period last year, banana leaves rose by 22%, sweet potato leaves by 54%, and lemon leaves recorded the strongest growth at 84.3%.

In total, during the first eight months of 2025, plant leaves accounted for nearly 5.3% of the country’s total vegetable and fruit export value.

Tam An