Egg prices in the United States have surged due to short supply, forcing major restaurant chains to add temporary surcharges to egg-based meals. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, egg prices have fallen amid an abundant supply.

According to international reports, a carton of Grade A eggs (12 eggs) now costs up to US$5, with prices soaring to $10 in some states.

The shortages have left U.S. consumers struggling to find eggs, particularly as demand spikes ahead of Easter on April 20.

Nguyen Thi Que Xuan, a 56-year-old resident of District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, recently returned from Northern California, where she witnessed the crisis first-hand.

According to Xuan, supermarkets barely had any eggs and only a few cartons were put up for sale each week.

She managed to purchase just two cartons for nearly $16.

While U.S. consumers face soaring costs, Vietnam has seen poultry egg prices from brands like V.Food and Ba Huan drop by VND3,000-5,000 ($0.10-0.20) per carton.

Currently, chicken eggs in Vietnamese supermarkets cost VND26,000-28,000 ($1-1.10) per carton of 10 eggs, while duck eggs are priced at VND33,000-36,000 ($1.30-1.40).

Vendors in Ho Chi Minh City's traditional markets reported that egg sales increased after the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) due to rising pork prices. 

Reports from egg farms across Vietnam show that prices are particularly low, with eggs costing VND1,290 ($0.05) each in the north, VND1,780 ($0.07) in the central region, and VND1,450 ($0.06) in the south.

Pham Thi Huan, director of Ba Huan JSC, one of Vietnam’s leading poultry and egg producers, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that egg prices decreased after the Lunar New Year holiday as the supply remained high. 

Still, Vietnam’s egg industry faces difficulties in export, specifically in procedures as well as the transport and preservation of fresh eggs.

“I still don’t know what the problem is. Our foreign partners are still not importing Vietnamese chicken eggs. My Singaporean clients even visited our farms, inspected the quality of the eggs, and confirmed everything was fine, but still haven’t placed an order,” Huan said, urging the government to remove regulatory barriers to help local egg producers access global markets, particularly the U.S., where demand is high.

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