Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) reports that Vietnam's rice exports exceeded 8 million tons in 2025, generating approximately US$4.1 billion in revenue. In 2026, the country plans to reduce rice exports to 7 million tons. This adjustment is both a measure to address market pressures and a step in the strategic transformation of its industry.
Do Nam, Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), stated that global rice supply will be ample in 2026, leading to significant export pressure. This reduction in export plans is based on Decision No. 583 issued by the Prime Minister in May 2023, which aims to gradually reduce Vietnam's export volume to approximately 4 million tons by 2030, while focusing on quality improvement and added value enhancement, and cultivating the high-end market.
Do Nam acknowledged that challenges remain in 2026. In January, Vietnam exported approximately 250,000 tons of rice to the Philippines, but prices remained stable due to high carryover stocks from 2025. Furthermore, the Philippines' import quota policy has hampered Vietnamese rice exports during the peak harvest season. He suggested that the government and relevant departments should provide financial support to enterprises to carry out temporary storage during the harvest season, and at the same time promote the signing of intergovernmental rice procurement contracts with countries such as Ghana and Singapore to ensure the income of winter and spring rice farmers.
Nguyen Van Thanh, General Manager of Phuc Thanh No. 4 Production and Trading Company in Vinh Long Province, believes that against the backdrop of rising global demand for food self-sufficiency, competition and risks are intensifying in the low-to-mid-end rice market, while there is still room for expansion in high-end markets such as Japan, the EU, and the US. Currently, Vietnamese ST25 rice is in high demand in the high-end market due to its high quality and reasonable price, and some enterprises have already cooperated to produce Japanese-style rice for the international market.
Nguyen Van Thanh pointed out that the core of cultivating the high-end market is to continuously improve quality and ensure food safety. Some Vietnamese enterprises have already cooperated with European and American distributors to promote brand building and enter local supermarkets, but this work is time-consuming, requires large investments, and is difficult, urgently requiring more government support in infrastructure, market expansion, and trade promotion. (End)
