Vietnam overtakes China and Indonesia as top cinnamon exporter with $213.9 million in eight months
Vietnam shipped 83,433 tonnes of cinnamon worth $213.9 million in the first eight months of 2026, according to the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association, making it the world's leading exporter by value despite ranking only third in production. Asian demand fell 8.2% while shipments to the Americas rose 35.1% and to Africa 24.8%.
Vietnam has moved ahead of China and Indonesia to become the world's largest cinnamon exporter by value, even though it ranks only third in production. Shipments over the first eight months of 2026 reached 83,433 tonnes worth $213.9 million, according to the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA), up 0.5% in volume and 1.6% in value on the same period of 2025.
Reports by soha.vn and kenh14.vn put earnings from the crop at close to $250 million since the start of the year, with planted area running into several hundred thousand hectares across the country.
August volumes ease, annual trend holds
VPSA data show August 2026 exports of 10,348 tonnes worth $27.4 million, a fall of 12.2% in volume and 9.5% in value from July. Measured against August 2025, however, volume was still 12% higher, which the association reads as steady demand for Vietnamese cinnamon rather than a turn in the market.
Asia contracts while the Americas and Africa expand
Asia remained the largest outlet with 56,363 tonnes in eight months, 67.6% of the national total, but regional purchases dropped 8.2% year on year. India alone accounted for 32,920 tonnes, or 39.5% of Vietnam's exports, down a marginal 0.4%.
Other Asian markets fell much further. Purchases by the United Arab Emirates were down 29%, China 37.5% and Indonesia 37.7% against the same period of last year.
The picture outside Asia was the opposite:
- Shipments to the Americas rose 35.1%, with the United States alone up 29.3% and taking 13.6% of Vietnam's total cinnamon export volume.
- European buying increased 4.3%.
- African demand grew 24.8%.
Those gains offset weaker consumption in Asia and kept the eight-month totals in positive territory.
Third in output, first in export revenue
Production figures cited from Tridge place Indonesia first at 89,000 tonnes, followed by China at 82,000 tonnes, Vietnam third at 41,000 tonnes and Sri Lanka at 24,000 tonnes. Vietnam therefore harvests roughly half as much cinnamon as either of the two leaders, yet leads the world in export earnings.
A July trade comparison drawn from ITC statistics shows the gap. China exported 2,695 tonnes worth $6.6 million that month and Indonesia 3,180 tonnes worth $10.3 million, while Vietnam shipped 11,788 tonnes worth $30.3 million — more than both rivals combined in volume and in value.
Whole-tree use and processing capacity
VPSA attributes Vietnam's room for growth to climate and soil conditions in the northern mountain provinces and parts of the central region. The commercial case for the crop rests on using the entire tree: leaves and branches are distilled into essential oil, bark supplies the spice and pharmaceutical industries, and cinnamon timber goes into household goods and construction materials.
Global spice demand remains high, and cinnamon derivatives are being developed further for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and functional foods. Dozens of Vietnamese companies have installed modern processing lines turning out ground and powdered cinnamon, a step up from exporting unprocessed bark. Vietnamese cinnamon is used in both sweet and savoury cooking, with India, the United States and Bangladesh among its main buyers.
