Vietnamese lychees now available at U.S. stores

HCMC – Vietnam has exported nearly 20 tons of lychees to the United States, where they are now available on the shelves of supermarkets along the West Coast.

The consignment was shipped by sea and is now available at Safeway and Albertsons supermarkets in Washington, Oregon, and California.

According to the Vietnam trade office branch in San Francisco, the lychees are priced at US$3.99 per pint, equivalent to VND200,000 per kilogram. This competitive price compares favorably to lychees from China and Mexico sold at Asian markets in San Francisco.

However, the importation of lychees into the U.S. has faced difficulties. The fruits need to be transported from the northern region of Vietnam to HCMC for irradiation, which increases transportation costs and can affect the quality of the fruit.

Furthermore, limitations in post-harvest technology, lack of synchronization in preparation, packaging, preservation, and transportation, as well as difficulty in maintaining stable temperature and moisture levels, make the shelf life of the fresh lychees shorter.

Safeway and Albertsons are the largest supermarket chains on the West Coast of the U.S. Safeway has 913 stores, while Albertsons has over 300.

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