Not only beautiful and uniform design, Chinese peony grapes also have a "super cheap" price, so they are popular with Vietnamese consumers.

As a famous Japanese variety, peony grapes were imported to Vietnam and sold for 2 million VND per kilogram. However, from 2021 until now, China has successfully grown this variety, so it has been exported to Vietnam massively cheaply. Many places sell peony grapes for less than high-end, locally-grown grape products.

Importing 3 quintals of peony grapes, Ms. Thu in District 12 (HCMC) said she was selling them for 130,000 VND per kg, down 20% from last year.

"The price of this variety is continuously decreasing. This year the peony grapes are in good season, so the import volume doubles the output compared to last year," said Ms. Thu.
Selling both Vietnamese and Chinese grapes, Ms. Oanh, owner of a fruit stall on Le Duc Tho Street (Go Vap), said that Chinese peony grapes are cheaper than Hong Nhat finger grapes grown in Ninh Thuan by 20,000 VND per kg and cheaper than Korean and American goods 70,000-100,000 VND.

"This grape has a thick skin and is easy to peel, and the flesh is succulent, so children love it. They often run out earlier than domestic goods," said Ms. Oanh.

According to the sellers, the peony grapes are packed in neat packaging, and uniform fruit should be eye-catching. In addition, this type is easy to maintain and lasts longer than domestic goods.

Because of this advantage, peony grapes are often sold in traditional markets and trolleys. The trolley selling price is 5,000-10,000 VND/kg lower than the stalls.

According to trolley owners, they rarely import expensive goods to sell because of the high price. However, with this attractive price, good quality, and selling by kg, strollers can be sold in bundles for 70,000-80,000 VND.

As the focal point for importing grapes at Thu Duc Agricultural Wholesale Market, Lan Anh said that this year's production of grapes directly imported from China increased by 20% compared to last year. Shipping costs are lower than every year, so the price of grapes drops. "This is also the year that peony grapes have come to Vietnam the most in the past three years and have the lowest prices," said Lan Anh.

Mr. Nguyen Binh Phuong, deputy director of business at the Thu Duc agricultural wholesale market, said that Chinese peony grapes are often coming to Vietnam because they are in season. Every night, the market imports 20 tons of peony grapes at wholesale prices of 110,000-125,000 VND per kilogram. This variety is in season from mid-August to October. This is also a premium variety but is much cheaper with American, Korean, and Japanese grapes. All goods are fully inspected, and documents of origin.

The peony (Muscat) grape originally originated in the Mediterranean. It is considered one of the oldest known grapes in the world. Over time, the fruit variety spread into Asia via the Silk Road. Japan is the first place in Asia to breed and commercialize peony grapes for export to countries worldwide. Japanese goods are expensive, currently, about 1.5-2 million VND per kg, while Korean goods are 950,000 to 1 million VND per kg because of growing according to high and clean standards.

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