Hanoi (VNA) – Agriculture in Vietnam is more than an economic sector – it is the cultural root and historical witness of the nation. From rice grains that sustained soldiers during wartime to today’s position as a global agricultural powerhouse, the journey reflects the resilience, creativity, and aspirations of the Vietnamese people.
During the resistance wars, the slogan “Every grain of rice and every soldier was ensured for the frontline” turned northern Vietnam into a vast agricultural workshop. Rice then carried a sacred meaning – a symbol of national unity and determination to win.
After 1975, the country faced a new battle – the one against poverty. The collective farming model revealed many shortcomings, forcing Vietnam to import millions of tonnes of food in the late 1970s and early 1980s. For a nation with a thousand-year wet rice tradition, enduring chronic food shortages was a painful paradox.
The turning point came in 1988 with Resolution 10 of the Politburo, better known as “Khoan 10”. It granted long-term land-use rights to farming households, recognising them as independent economic units. For the first time, farmers became true masters of their fields, entitled to “earn more if they produced more.”
The policy brought immediate results. In 1989, Vietnam moved from being a food importer to exporting 1.4 million tonnes of rice. Since then, Vietnamese rice has steadily conquered global markets, with the country briefly surpassing Thailand in 2012 to become the world’s top rice exporter. In 2024, exports hit a record 9 million tonnes, earning nearly 5.8 billion USD.
Beyond quantity, quality has also risen, with Vietnamese rice winning multiple “World’s Best Rice” awards. The first low-carbon rice shipments for export further demonstrated a sustainable shift.
Rice success paved the way for broader growth. Vietnam diversified into coffee, fruits, seafood, wood, cashew nuts, and pepper.
In 2024, total agro-forestry-aquatic product exports reached a record 62.5 billion USD. Coffee ranked second worldwide in exports, with Robusta taking first place. In the first half of 2025 alone, coffee exports hit 5.45 billion USD – nearly equal to the full-year value in 2024. Fruit and vegetable exports reached 7.12 billion USD in 2024, with durian alone contributing over 3 billion USD from exports to China. Seafood brought in 10.07 billion USD, including shipments to demanding markets such as the US, the EU, and Japan.
This diversity has ensured national food security while expanding global market reach, cementing Vietnam’s place as a major agricultural exporter.
Yet challenges remain. Climate change, especially in the Mekong Delta, threatens food security. Small, fragmented production hinders high-tech applications and traceability. Heavy reliance on a few major markets like China and the US carries risks, while advanced economies increasingly tighten “green” standards.
Vietnam is restructuring agriculture around three main pillars with a focus on sustainability and technology: ecological agriculture, modern rural development, and smart farmers.
National Assembly Vice Chairman and former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan stressed that in the new development space, there is no room for siloed thinking. Agriculture must link with industry, science, technology, and culture to create new values – not only producing, but also building a green, sustainable, and humane agricultural space.
He emphasised that Vietnam’s agriculture needs a unified vision, strong connectivity, and a “brave heart” to create new harvests. “Green agriculture builds a green future; decent agriculture nurtures decent generations – towards people, nature, and ourselves.”
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has also affirmed that farmers must live better and happier lives, rural areas must modernise, and agriculture must advance. Farmers are at the centre and the driving force, agriculture, is the engine, and rural areas are the foundation.
Agriculture will always be a source of pride and a solid root for Vietnam to continue to rise high and fly far in the international arena./.
