Vietnam’s cashew nut exports exceeded USD 5 billion in 2025. Yet the trade balance is far less impressive. Vietnam holds a 70% market share in the EU. Small trade surplus in Vietnam Impressive as Vietnam’s record-breaking cashew exports were in 2025, industry stakeholders highlight that raw nut imports have resulted in a far less impressive trade surplus as Viêt Nam News reports. While the country’s cashew exports exceeded USD 5.2 billion for the first time on record in 2025 with China replacing the USA as main destination, the country also spent USD 4.5 billion on raw cashew imports mainly from Africa and Cambodia, which only leaves a trade surplus of just above USD 700 million. Trouble is that domestic supply only covers around 10% of production demand. Intention is to engage in a twofold solution to this problem with VINACAS, the Vietnam Cashew Association, keen to maintain exports above USD 5 billion. To this end, efforts will be increased to boost raw nut production and to drive up high-value processing rather than continue to mainly ship semi-processed nuts. Vietnam remains main EU trading partner China accounted for USD 1.1 billion of Vietnam’s cashew nut exports last year, followed by the USA with USD 975 million and the Netherlands with USD 495 million. In fact, the EU imported a record 194,361 mt of cashew nuts worth EUR 1.2 billion (USD 1.4 billion) in 2025 as official European Commission import statistics show. Vietnam accounted for more than 70%, followed by the Ivory Coast with a much smaller market share of around 16% and India with nearly 6%. Quotations for WW320 cashew nuts currently range at USD 6,900/mt FOB Vietnam.