Vietnam’s key coffee-growing regions saw domestic robusta prices level off on 17 August at around 94,800 VND/kg, even as export statistics and global futures underline a widening gap between growing Vietnamese shipments and softer robusta prices compared with firmer arabica.
According to Vietnam.vn and Báo Lào Cai / Vietnam.vn, purchase prices in the Central Highlands on 17 August ranged from 94,200 to 94,900 VND/kg, with an average of 94,800 VND/kg and described as a sideways move after several days of decline. Regional quotes clustered tightly: Dak Lak and Gia Lai at 94,700 VND/kg, Lam Dong at 94,200 VND/kg, and Dak Nong at 94,900 VND/kg. These reports noted that prices had earlier touched around 98,000 VND/kg during the week before sliding below 95,000 VND/kg.
VOV.VN gave a slightly different description for the morning of 17 August, stating that domestic coffee “decreased slightly” by 600 VND/kg while still citing a 94,200–94,900 VND/kg range and the same 94,800 VND/kg average. VOV.VN also reported that prices had dropped by 600 VND/kg on 16 August. A separate 17 August update from Vietnam.vn, using data from price site giacaphe.com, showed a modest rebound at the start of the week, with Dak Lak and Gia Lai at 95,000 VND/kg, Lam Dong at 94,500 VND/kg and Dak Nong at 95,300 VND/kg, up 300–400 VND/kg from the previous session.
This domestic pause comes against a backdrop of significant volatility. Vietnam.vn reported that Central Highlands prices had fallen by 2,100 VND/kg over the prior week to below 95,000 VND/kg, the lowest level in three weeks, and described current levels as still “quite far” from the psychological threshold of 100,000 VND/kg. The same outlet said dwindling old-crop supply could offer some support even as the market entered a wait-and-see mode pending new signals from London and New York exchanges.
On the export side, customs data cited by VOV.VN show Vietnam shipped more than 1 million tonnes of coffee in the first half of 2026, earning about $4.8 billion. That represented a 7% increase in volume but a 14% decline in value compared with the same period a year earlier. For June alone, exports reached 126,400 tonnes worth over $585 million, up 4% in volume but down 16% in value year-on-year. The average export price for June was $4,631 per tonne, 4% higher than in May but 19% lower than a year before, while the average for the first half stood at $4,565 per tonne, 20% below the prior-year level.
VOV.VN reported that countries spent nearly $5 billion buying Vietnamese coffee in the first six months of 2026, with particularly positive shipments to Northeast Asia and continued growth in June exports to Italy, Japan and Germany. At the same time, some international markets were said to have reduced imports of Vietnamese coffee amid slow consumption recovery and high inventory levels.
International futures have mirrored the pressure on robusta prices more than on arabica. An agricultural market report on Vietnam.vn noted that London robusta September 2026 futures closed at $3,621 per tonne, down $45 from the previous session, with the November 2026 contract at $3,594 per tonne, down $50. In contrast, New York arabica September 2026 futures rose to 338.10 US cents per pound, up 5 cents, and the December 2026 contract increased 1.5 cents to 314.30 US cents per pound, with high trading volume.
According to the same Vietnam.vn report, exports from both Brazil and Vietnam have increased sharply, putting pressure on robusta, while arabica has been supported by more limited sales. The article cited Brazilian data showing arabica exports in July falling 8.9% to 1.82 million bags, the lowest July level since 2018, while robusta exports surged 84.4% to 851,235 bags, the second-highest July volume on record after 2024.
Vietnam-focused commentary compiled by Vietnam.vn said Reuters-cited traders attributed the recent fall in Vietnamese robusta prices to weak demand and dwindling inventories at the end of the harvest season, while noting that robusta prices in Indonesia moved in the opposite direction. The same report stated that Vietnamese farmers currently hold limited coffee supplies and that traders in producing regions expect a 20% decline in the next crop’s yield, pointing to drought in some areas hindering irrigation and heavy rains in others worsening pest infestations.
Market analysis on Vietnam.vn added that El Niño-related weather risks are a concern in both Brazil and Vietnam, with potential impacts on yields and quality, and suggested that the divergence between robusta, under pressure from increased selling, and arabica, supported by supply concerns, is expected by market participants to persist for now.
