HANOI - Vietnam gained $1.2 billion from exporting fruits and vegetables to China in the first half of this year, seeing a year-on-year rise of 18.1 percent, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade on Thursday.

In the six-month period, China remains Vietnam's top fruit and veggie export market, followed by the United States with turnovers of $50.9 million, up 14.6 percent; Japan with $46.7 million, up 8 percent; South Korea with $46.5 million, up 15.4 percent; and Thailand with $26.1 million, up 26.3 percent.

Between January and June, Vietnam reaped total fruit and veggie export turnovers of $2 billion, up 20 percent.

According to Vietnamese agriculture and trade experts, the high growth in fruit and veggie export turnovers was mainly attributed to the wider application of clean production processes, and modern semi-processed and preservation technologies.

Vietnam is boosting export of both fresh and processed fruit and vegetables to traditional markets and new ones, the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said. Local litchi, longan, mango and dragon fruits have recently penetrated into big markets which have strict requirements for food safety.

To date, Vietnamese fruits and veggies have been exported to 60 countries and regions, including Thailand and Indonesia which are considered agriculture powerhouses, according to the ministry.

Vietnam made fruit and veggie export turnovers of more than $3.5 billion in 2017, up over 43.1 percent against 2016.