Guides · From Vietnam
Exporting food from Vietnam to Poland
Vietnamese food and FMCG manufacturers looking at Poland.
In short
- The EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has applied since 1 August 2020: EU duties are cut in yearly steps and many food lines already enter duty-free.
- To get the lower duty, each shipment needs a proof of origin under the agreement (an EUR.1 certificate issued in Vietnam, or an origin statement by the exporter for consignments up to €6,000).
- Instant coffee, noodles, cashews, pepper and seafood are Poland's main food imports from Vietnam.
- Most EU alerts for Vietnamese food are pesticide residues and veterinary drug residues in fish and shrimp.
What Poland buys from Vietnam
The EU–Vietnam trade agreement is in force: EU duties on Vietnamese goods are being cut in stages, many already to zero.
- Coffee extracts and instant coffee grew from €14.6 million in 2021 to €82.7 million in 2025, almost six times more.
- Pasta and noodles grew from €2.1 million to €30.7 million in four years.
- Cashews and coconuts reached €25.6 million in 2025, the highest in five years. Pepper grew every year since 2023.
- Fish fillets fell from a peak of €27.6 million in 2023 to €15.5 million in 2025: a gap for new suppliers or a warning about competition. Check the reasons before you price.
- Coffee extracts, instant coffeeHS 21012025: €82.7 mJan–Aug 2026: €44.9 m -23%
- CoffeeHS 09012025: €37.8 mJan–Aug 2026: €47.3 m +53%
- Pasta and noodlesHS 19022025: €30.7 mJan–Aug 2026: €19.0 m -14%
- Cashews, coconuts, Brazil nutsHS 08012025: €25.6 mJan–Aug 2026: €17.1 m +12%
- Fish filletsHS 03042025: €15.5 mJan–Aug 2026: €8.5 m +5%
- PepperHS 09042025: €13.3 mJan–Aug 2026: €8.1 m -22%
- Shrimp and other crustaceansHS 03062025: €12.6 mJan–Aug 2026: €8.8 m +35%
- RiceHS 10062025: €7.0 mJan–Aug 2026: €3.8 m -18%
Imports into Poland, € (Eurostat Comext), latest month Aug 2026. Change: vs the same months a year earlier.
Vietnam food at the EU border
Most problems are pesticide residues in fruit, vegetables and spices, and veterinary drug residues in fish and shrimp. Test each lot against EU maximum residue limits before shipping, in a lab the buyer accepts. In 2026 so far, 22 shipments from Vietnam were stopped at the EU border. The most common reasons for EU food alerts, 2020–2025 (number of alerts):
Latest alerts
- 20 Oct Information: Frozen african catfish fillet · Unauthorised substance (leucomalachit green)
- 19 Oct Border rejection: Unauthorized treatment with ionizing radiation of frozen Pangasius fillets
- 19 Oct Border rejection: Unauthorized treatment with ionizing radiation of frozen Pangasius fillets
Duties under the EU–Vietnam agreement
Under EVFTA the EU removes duties on most Vietnamese goods over up to seven years from 2020, with duty-free quotas for some sensitive products (for example canned tuna, rice and some sugar products). Look up your 8-digit code and the 2026 preferential rate in Access2Markets. The goods must meet the agreement's rules of origin, which for processed food often limit non-originating ingredients. Ask your chamber of commerce or the issuing authority which origin document applies to your shipment.
Next steps
The general route, documents and label rules are in How to export food to Poland. For your type of product:
Official sources
- Access2Markets: EU duties and rules by product code (European Commission)
- Foods with more frequent border checks, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 (consolidated)
- Pesticide residue limits, Regulation (EC) No 396/2005
- Countries allowed to export animal products, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/405
This guide is a plain-language overview, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules change: check the official text and your product code before you ship.