B. Vietnam exports a lot of rice, that is mainly grown in the south of the country. C. Vietnam exports a lot of rice grown mainly in the south of the country. D. Vietnam, which is grown mainly in the south of the country, exports a lot of rice. Đáp án C. Dịch: Việt Nam xuất khẩu rất nhiều gạo. Nó được trồng chủ yếu Vietnamese rice exporters have a great opportunity to dominate the market share in the Southeast Asian market in particular and the world in general. However, Vietnamese rice grain is still presently struggling to find its position in rice export. Inside one of the country's biggest rice warehouses. Ms. Tran Le Dung, First Secretary in charge High-quality rice comprised up to 81 percent of rice export volume, the ministry said, forecasting the world's rice market will see a decrease in supply and increase in demand in the near future. According to Vietnam's Rice Market Development Strategy, one of the country's goals is to gradually reduce the rice export volume but increase Vietnam shipped 4.73 million tonnes of rice abroad for 2.3 billion USD, up 18.6% and 8.1%, respectively, from last year. However, the export price of rice suddenly dropped in August, with white Rice exports are assumed to be one of the engines of economic growth of both Vietnam and China in recent years. The present study aimed to compare the rice export performance of Vietnam and China and assesses to what extent it reflects their international competitiveness in the selected target markets over 2000-2014 period. The Constant Market Share model was applied to identify the main cash. Vietnam is on track to export million tons of rice in 2022, the second-highest export volume in the country's rice exports continue to beat records with strong growth in both volume and revenue, showcasing the agricultural sector's efforts to meet the high standards of the global VENData from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development MARD reveal that Vietnam's rice exports reached a monthly record of 713,546 tons in October, bringing in US$341 million, up in quantity and in value from the previous the ten months, the total volume of rice for exports stood at over six million tons worth nearly $3 billion, up in quantity and in value year on Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said the total export volume in 2022 would be tons, the second-highest rice export volume in the history of Vietnam’s rice production average rice export price during the ten months was estimated at $484 per to the MARD, the Philippines is Vietnam’s largest rice buyer, with million tons, or 45% of Vietnam’s rice exports, for $ to other high-standard markets has also witnessed substantial growth, including the US up and the EU Vietnam Food Association VFA suggested after two years of implementing the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement EVFTA, Vietnamese rice has gradually cemented its place in the EU VFA added Vietnamese high-quality and fragrant rice, such as ST24, ST25, or Jasmine are fast becoming the market’s currently allocates a quota of 80,000 tons for Vietnam’s rice at a preferential tariff of zero. The VFA expected Vietnam to export at least 60,000 tons of rice to the bloc this is also worth mentioning that the prices of Vietnam’s rice are currently at the top of the market thanks to its high October, its 5%-broken rice averaged $425-$430 per ton, the highest since last November. The rates are higher than direct competitors' prices, such as India by $48-$51 per ton or Thailand by $18-$23. On the contrary, Thailand’s 5%-broken rice prices declined by $28 per ton from $435 to $407, its lowest since July Vice Chairman Do Ha Nam attributed the high rice export growth to the appreciation of the US dollar, saying the price’s upward trend may last until late on major marketsAccording to the MARD, Vietnam produces 22-23 million tons of rice annually, but only 15% are exported to ensure national food further facilitate rice export, Deputy Director of the MARD’s Department of Agricultural Products Processing and Market Development Le Thanh Hoa urged local firms to focus on the Chinese market, which remains among the world’s Hoa noted that the market is changing regarding requirements for imported products, from sanitary control, packaging, and labeling to traceability of only 22 Vietnamese companies are qualified to export rice to China with a limited amount.“In the past years, Vietnam was allocated a quota of over 2 million tons of rice per year to the market, but the amount has gradually exhausted. We are working with the Chinese counterparts to add more rice traders to the export list,” Hoa addition to China, the MARD suggested the EU and UK are potential markets due to high demand and free trade agreements between Vietnam and these two partners. “Local traders should work closely with rice producers and suppliers to ensure products meet technical standards of the import markets,” stated the Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said the agency is working with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to monitor the market situation and provide information for traders to promote rice the long term, Tien expected a focus on restructuring rice production, concentrating on high-quality rice products, and promoting brands for Vietnamese Hanoi Times Farmers walking on rice fields in Mu Cang Chai, YenBai, VietnamWiratgasem Moment Getty ImagesVietnam aims to cut its rice exports to 4 million tons a year by 2030, the government said in a document detailing its rice export strategy, down from million tons last is the world's third-largest rice exporter, after India and Thailand. The move is aimed at "boosting the exports of high-quality rice, ensuring domestic food security, protecting the environment and adapting to climate change," according to the government document, dated May 26 and reviewed by export revenue will fall to $ billion a year by 2030, down from $ billion in 2022, the document said."Although Vietnam's rice farming area is shrinking due to climate change and some farmers are switching to growing other crops and raising shrimp, the strategy appears to be too aggressive," a rice trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said on trader said some rice farmers in the Mekong Delta are turning parts of their fields to fruit farms, growing mangoes, grapefruit, jackfruit and durian, but the vast majority remain dependent on trend toward cultivating shrimp has been taking place in the area for years as rising seawater triggered by climate change brings significantly increased salination in the Mekong Delta will diversify its rice export markets to reduce its reliance on any country, the government document said. The Philippines has long been Vietnam's biggest rice buyer, accounting for 45% of its shipments last Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr at a regional meeting in Indonesia this month that Vietnam was willing to supply rice to the Philippines for the long term at reasonable 2025, 60% of Vietnamese rice exports will be shipped to Asian markets, 22% to Africa, 7% to the United States, 4% to the Middle East and 3% to Europe, the document Vietnam Food Association, which represents rice processors and exporters, did not immediately respond to requests for government said Vietnam will focus on the production of high-quality, fragrant and glutinous rice, while reducing the production of low-quality grains to 15% of total output by 2025 and to 10% by 2030. "I doubt the strategy will materialize, as rice production depends on supply and demand, not on a government decision," another rice trader in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang exports from Vietnam in the first four months of this year rose from a year earlier to million tonnes, according to government customs data. I. Interesting facts about Vietnamese Rice? 1 Rice production in Vietnam is ranked second in the world, just behind Thailand. In 2021, the country’s rice export volume amounted to million tons. 2 On average, a Vietnamese person consumes nearly 100 kg of rice per year. 3 In Vietnam, In Vietnam, there are 12 different rice products that can be made from rice. 4 The wet rice cultivation was initiated and has lasted until nowadays in Vietnam since rice was grown in the Stone Age. 5 Thanks to the growth of exporting rice in 2021 Vietnam earned over $ billion from rice exports. 6 Two regions with the biggest rice production in Vietnam are the Mekong River Delta which produces 95% of Vietnam’s rice exports and the Red River Delta. In 2020, million tons of rice were produced in the Mekong River Delta. 7 The Rice Trader has officially confirmed that the rice product ST25 of Vietnam won the first prize in the world’s best rice contest 2019. II. Where does Vietnam export rice to? Vietnam’s rice export markets include 150 countries belonging to 28 markets in 2021. The main market, Asia, comprised over 60% of total rice export turnover, followed by Africa and Europe with 19% and 2% of the total turnover, respectively. Regarding ASEAN countries, the vast population of nearly 700 million makes them import many Vietnamese agricultural products. Among nations in the region, the Philippines 1st and Indonesia 2nd are two leading rice importers from Vietnam in 2021. Globally, in 2021, rice was exported the most to the Philippines with a turnover of $1,253,14 million, followed by China $ million; Ga Na $ million; Ivory Coast $ million; Malaysia $ million Also, Vietnam had Ivory Coast as a trade partner of rice with significant growth in import turnover, up 76% over the same period in 2021. In 2022, the biggest export market of Vietnamese rice is still the Philippines, amounting to of the country’s total rice exports. Moreover, Vietnam recorded positive results in exporting rice to China, Africa, and Cuba markets. It is because of their stable demand in the second quarter and the first six months of 2022. III. How Much Rice Do European Countries Imported From Vietnam? The EU market has a high demand for importing goods from other countries globally because of its vast population of 516 million citizens originating from 27 countries, and GDP per capita of more than USD 35,000/ year. In particular, agricultural products are the top import items of the EU countries, with a value of more than USD 160 billion/ year, becoming the third largest importer of Vietnamese agricultural products. Moreover, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade MoIT, the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement EVFTA has created many opportunities for the import and export between EU countries and Vietnam, particularly improving the rice exports from Vietnam to the EU. Regarding Vietnam’s rice exports to Europe EU. the EU gives Vietnam an export quota of 80,000 tonnes of rice per year to the EU. And this number is expected to increase sharply in 2022, besides traditional markets such as the Philippines the most considerable market, China, Malaysia, the US, African countries, South Korea, etc. In the first two months of 2022, 15,500 tonnes of rice were exported to the EU, worth nearly 12 million USD, up 4 times in volume and times in value compared to the same period in 2021. Impressively, the leading market among European Union nations is Italy, with the import volume rising by 26 times over the last period in 2021. Also, Germany, France, and the Netherlands are the main import markets of Vietnamese rice. IV. Vietnam’s Rice Export Price Export Values Overall, from 2010 to 2020, the export value of Vietnamese rice is relatively stable. There were higher international trading turnovers more than 3 billion USD in 2011, 2012, 2018, and 2020. In recent years 2017-2020, after a short time of decreasing rice export turnover, Vietnamese rice attracted global importers with an impressive increase in value, from billion USD to billion USD in 2017 and 2020. Producer Price As the graph shows, between 2010 and 2020, the producer price for rice decreased sharply. Many rice production regions changed rice producer prices. In 2020, 1kg of rice, which is already packed and can be delivered immediately, is worth $ in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Average Export Price The average export price for rice in Vietnam between 2010 and 2020 is USD 465/ton. In particular, there was an increase in Vietnam’s rice export price, from USD 441/ton to USD 449/ton up Export Price in 2022 In Q1 of 2022, 5% of broken rice’s price increased by 12-15 USD/ ton, amounting to 415 USD/ ton, compared to the price at the beginning of the year. It reached the highest price in 3 first months of 2022, thanks to the increasing demand and advantages in production. In addition, Vietnam’s export rice price continued to be adjusted, up by 2 USD/ ton on April 1 for 25% broken rice, and sold at 395 USD/ ton. The price of 100% broken rice was still stable at 338 USD/ ton. Rice Price Comparison in the Global Market Currently, Vietnam’s 5% broken rice costs 5 USD/ton higher than Thai rice, but Vietnam’s 25% broken rice is 13 USD/ton lower than Thai rice. Vietnam’s 100% broken rice is 70 USD/ton lower than Thai rice. In the global market, the export price of Pakistani rice increased by 5-8 USD/ton. After rising by 8 USD/ton, 100% broken rice from Pakistan was planned to sell at 353 USD/ton. Among the four traditional rice exporting countries Vietnam, Thailand, India and Pakistan, India is the market having the lowest rice export price. India’s export rice prices were stable at $343/ton, $323/ton and $313/ton. However, this is totally different type of rice, since India export mainly Bamasti rice, while Vietnam export mainly fragrant rice, and jasmine rice. Vietnam has been restructuring towards value promotion and sustainable development. The rice industry also aims to improve the quality and value of Vietnamese rice grains. V. Conclusion Vietnam is a growing market for exporting agricultural products, especially rice export, because of its climate and geographical location. Hence, international businesses ought to take the opportunity to import rice from this potential market. However, to compete successfully with domestic competitors and those in the same region, sourcing the most profitable factory or finding a reliable partner is quite challenging in Vietnam. That’s why our VIEC sourcing team is here to support enterprises to connect you directly to trustworthy Vietnamese rice manufacturers within a short time, through our exclusive connection. With our long-term experience, you can import rice from Vietnam at a lower cost and with good product quality, which will bring better benefits to your business. ABSTRACT The article presents the current situation of the export rice industry as well as the market structural changes of Vietnam's rice exports between 2010 and 2020. By analyzing the process of changing the structure of rice exports by value and market, it is obvious that Vietnamese rice has progressed quite quickly in structural changes of varieties towards quality rice and fragrant rice, diversifying export markets. However, Vietnamese rice does not have a brand name has a small market share in the world's value markets the United States, Germany, Japan, etc., and remains in the middle and easy segments whose market shares tend to decrease in the main markets China. Thereby, the article offers some policy implications for Vietnam's rice export industry in the coming time. Keywords rice, export, market structure, Vietnam. CURRENT STATUS OF VIETNAM'S RICE EXPORT INDUSTRY From a country lacking in food, currently, rice production in Vietnam has met the needs of domestic consumption and has become an exporter of rice from 1989 onwards. Between 2010 and 2020, Vietnam's rice exports reached an average of over million tons, equivalent to about 20% of production output. Currently, Vietnam belongs to the group of three largest rice exporters in the world. Export volume and value For three consecutive years 2010-2012, Vietnam's rice exports continuously broke out to break their own records Table 1. In 2010, the export volume of rice reached million tons, accounting for 22% of the world's total rice exports. In 2011, rice exports reached million tons. By 2012, Vietnam surpassed Thailand million tons in rice export volume and ranked second in the world, after India million tons, reaching 8 million tons, worth US$ billion. However, in terms of export turnover, among the three largest rice exporting countries in the world today, Vietnam ranks last. Rice export turnover of India, Thailand and Vietnam this year respectively is US$ billion, US$ billion and US$ billion. In 2012, the price of rice in the world market declined sharply, causing the export price of Vietnam's rice to decrease to US$458/ton compared with US$514/ton in 2011. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in 2014, the export price of Vietnam’s rice tends to increase, reaching US$464/ton, because Vietnam has exported a large amount of rice to the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, and at the same time, still maintains a high growth rate level of exports to China even during a tense period in the East Sea. In 2016, the world and regional rice markets continued to compete fiercely, with many unfavorable developments for Vietnam's rice exports, reaching only nearly million tons, worth US$ billion, a decrease of nearly in quantity and in value compared to 2015. However, with many innovations in management, rice exports in 2017 reached million tons, up % compared to 2016, and the value reached about US$ billion, up In 2018, the volume of rice exports reached million tons with a turnover of US$ billion, up in volume and in value compared to 2017. The average rice export price reached about approximately US$501/ton; an increase of US$48/ton compared to the average price in 2017. The export structure gradually increased with high quality and high-grade rice, so the average export price increased. Rice exports with increasingly diverse products such as long grain rice, short grain rice, fragrant rice, Japonica rice, sticky rice, etc. In 2018, Vietnam continued to be the world's third largest exporter after India and Thailand. In 2019, rice exports reached nearly million tons, worth US$ billion, up in volume but down in value compared to 2018. In the context of a difficult market, Vietnam's rice exports still maintained an increase in volume, however, the average export price was at US$441/ton, down 12%, equivalent to a decrease of US$60/ton. Vietnam's rice exports in 2020 even in the context of COVID-19 still reached million tons, worth US$ billion. Although the amount of rice exported decreased by about compared to 2019, mainly because of the goal of ensuring national food security, the export value increased by The average export price for the whole year reached US$499/ton, up compared to 2019. This is the high average price in recent years, bringing great benefits to rice farmers. However, the value of Vietnam's rice exports is on a decreasing trend over the years. On average, in the last five years from 2016 to 2020, rice exports are at million tons/year with a value of about US$ billion. While the average of 5 years in the period before 2010-2015, the volume of rice exported reached nearly million tons/year with a value of about US$ billion/year. Thus, Vietnam's rice industry has begun to tend to approach the limit in terms of production capacity, as shown by the decreasing growth rate both in volume and turnover, while the agricultural land area is decreasing gradually, further narrowed by the rapidly increasing urbanization process and the negative impacts of climate change. Export market share Vietnam's rice market share in the world market in recent years has been relatively stable at 12 - 15% in terms of value Table 2. Export volume compared to the world, ranked third in the world in terms of rice export volume in the period 2015 - 2019. The years 2015, 2017, and 2018, show the solid position of Thai rice export in the world market with the market share is twice as high as that of Vietnam. But after 2018, the gap of market share between Vietnam and Thailand is shrinking. Besides Thailand, India is gradually affirming to the world about its rice export capacity. India's rice export volume has grown strongly in recent years, twice as much as Vietnam and is the largest rice exporter in the world. The United States has also ranked in the list of 10 major rice exporting countries in recent years. The market share of US rice exports fluctuated relatively stable over time with a range of 6 - 8%. China's rice export market share has declined rapidly from in 1999 to in 2013 because of changes in the country's economic development strategy. China has become a major rice importer in the world with the volume of imported rice constantly increasing over the years. Currently, China's rice export market share increases from 1% in 2015 to 5% in 2020. Currently, Vietnam's rice export market is relatively diversified. Vietnamese rice is present in all five continents, in which the main focus is Asia in 2020, even during the COVID-19 impacting period, Vietnam’s rice accounted for of total exports volume and gradually penetrated into difficult markets such as Australia, Germany, Japan, the United States, etc. MOIT, 2021. Although the export scale in these markets is still modest, combined with the fierce competition of strong competitors such as Thailand, these new markets are considered a reasonable direction for Vietnam's rice industry. STATUS OF RESTRUCTURING RICE EXPORT OF VIETNAM 2010 - 2020 The process of changing the structure of rice export by value Regarding the export price of rice For a country, high or low export prices not only affects export turnover but also shows the development level of the domestic production industry. In 2011, the average export price of Vietnam's rice was highest at US$514/ton, while the average price of Thai rice was US$608/ton. 2012 is considered to be the year when the world market's rice supply is quite abundant, the competition between suppliers is very fierce, the average export price of Thai rice continues to increase reaching US$688/ton, while the average export price of Vietnam's rice dropped to US$458/ton. In 2013, the average export price of rice from Thailand and Vietnam both decreased, however, the rate of decrease of Vietnamese rice price US$444/ton was lower than that of Thailand US$668/ton. Faced with this reality, Vietnam's rice industry needs a structural change in the industry itself, focusing on investing in and applying modern science and technology to improve export quality and competitive rice varieties. Vietnam's average rice export price in 2018 reached the highest level from 2013 - 2018, reaching US$501/ton, high rice price contributed to boosting rice exports in 2018 in both volume and export value, an increase of and respectively compared to 2017, reaching million tons and US$ billion Table 1. 2016 was the year with the lowest export volume and turnover with million tons and US$ billion, much lower than the average of the whole period, down nearly in volume and decreased by in value compared to 2015. It can be said that 2016 was an unsuccessful year in Vietnam's rice exports, exports decreased in most markets and all major markets such as China, Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. One of the reasons for this situation is the delay in Vietnam's rice export policy, while competitors have changed rapidly. Specifically, Thailand has announced to discharge its rice reserves for export, India has won many rice export contracts with the Governments of major countries such as China, the Philippines, and many Middle East and African countries. The advantage of cheap rice prices, good quality of India becomes a great pressure for major rice exporting countries such as Vietnam and Thailand. 2016 is a year which marked a milestone in terms of competition for export rice in the international market, which is comprehensively expressed from volume, quality to brand in the market. In addition to major rice exporting countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, and India, many countries have emerged that have joined the group of rice exporting countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, etc. These are new competitors with high quality and branded rice products start to export to high quality markets. However, with many innovations in production and value chain management such as the small farm-large field, linkage cooperative-export enterprise, Vietnam's rice exports in 2017 reached million tons, an increase of compared to 2016, worth about US$ billion, an increase of 18%. The average FOB export price stood at US$453/ton, up equivalent to an increase of US$4/ton compared to the 2016 export price. Compared with Thailand, the price of Vietnamese rice is always lower than that of Thailand in the same category Table 3. Statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture USDA show that the price of Vietnamese rice exports in the period from January 2016 to September 2019 is always lower than the price of Thai rice. However, since the beginning of October 2020, the price of Vietnamese rice has been slightly higher than the price of Thai rice. The reason for this situation is that Vietnam's rice supply is limited and transportation costs increase, while Thailand's rice supply increases thanks to favorable weather conditions. The higher price of rice compared to other leading rice exporting countries in the world is a disadvantage for Vietnam. Regarding the quality of exported rice From 2010 to 2017 there was a change in the structure of rice exports in the direction of positively Figure 1, increasing the proportion of sticky rice, fragrant rice and reducing the proportion of low- and medium-grade rice. The share of low-quality white rice exports decreased from in 2010 to in 2015 and in 2017; Average quality white rice also decreased from in 2010 to and in 2015 and 2017 respectively. The export proportion of fragrant rice and sticky rice had a remarkable growth, increasing from in 2010 to in 2015 and in 2017 for sticky rice; increased from in 2010 to in 2015 and in 2017 for fragrant rice. Thus, the structure of rice exports has tended to shift towards increasing the proportion of fragrant rice and high-grade rice in the 2010-2015 period. And in this market segment, Vietnam has to face increasing competition from neighboring Cambodia. From 2018, sticky rice exports faced difficulties due to changes in import tax rates of the Chinese market, the structure of sticky rice exports decreased from 22% in 2017 to 5% in 2019. In 2019, among exported rice, White rice accounts for the majority, with 57% of Vietnam's rice export volume, the white rice market of Vietnam is Asian countries. Next is fragrant rice, contributing 32% to the structure of rice exports, with the main market being African countries. Even the demand of fragrant rice in the US and EU is increasing, but Vietnam’s fragrant rice is not yet attended the food safety standard of these markets, dominating by Thailand and India fragrant rice. In 2020, the export value of white rice accounted for of the total turnover, reaching million tons; jasmine and fragrant rice accounted for reaching million tons; broken rice accounted for reaching thousand tons; sticky rice accounted for reaching thousand tons; japonica rice and Japanese rice varieties accounted for As shown in Figure 2, the price of Thailand's export rice is always higher than that of Vietnam's rice in the same category as glutinous rice, in particular, the price of Thailand's Hom Mali fragrant rice is much higher than the price of Jasmine or Dai fragrant rice of Vietnam at the same time. In June 2019, the price of Thai Hom Mali rice was US$1,088/ton, Thai sticky rice was US$930/ton, while Vietnam's sticky rice price was US$485/ton, Dai Thom 8 rice was US$436/ton, and Jasmine rice is US$475 /ton. The reason why Thailand always sells at a higher price than Vietnamese rice is thanks to the brand name. Thai Hom Mali rice is a branded rice that has won the top prize 6 times since the World's Best Rice contest organized by The Rice Trader. Vietnam has many types of rice with the same quality as other countries, but information about these types of rice is still unknown to the world market because they do not have the name "Made in Vietnam ''. Vietnamese rice has an advantage in the white and long grain rice market segment thanks to the "cheap advantage," however, this advantage is also facing stiff competition from new rice exporting countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar. The ability to access and compete in markets requiring high quality, especially fragrant rice in Japan, EU, US, Australia, etc. is still very limited. In general, Vietnam's fragrant rice exports are mostly in the middle price segment, so the strongest fragrant rice consumption markets are still African and Asian countries. The goal of improving quality is still the top goal in order to be able to penetrate into difficult markets, bringing higher added value to rice. The process of changing the structure of rice exports according to the market Vietnamese rice has been present in more than 150 countries and territories around the world. Currently, Vietnam's main rice export markets are countries in Asia and Africa, including Philippines, Malaysia, China, Ivory Coast, Ghana, etc. Previously, rice exported to China accounted for 20-30% of the country's total rice exports, with more than 90% being glutinous rice. Vietnam is the largest rice exporting country to China with a turnover of US$616 - 1,022 million, accounting for - of the total rice import turnover of this market in the period 2012 - 2017. In July 2018, China applied many impedances to rice products, introduced stricter requirements on food hygiene and safety, increased the import tax on sticky rice from 5% to 50%, making the costs of rice exports to China increased. In 2020, Vietnam's rice export turnover to China decreased to only US$452 million, with the market share falling to In 2019 and 2020, the Philippine market and countries in Africa will become key markets for Vietnam's rice exports. Looking at Table 4, Vietnam’s rice market through the years can be seen. Vietnam's main rice exports are still China and the Philippines. Vietnam also exports to a number of markets such as the United States, Japan, Australia, etc., but the quantity is not significant. In 2020, Vietnam's rice exports to the United States reached 20,496 tons, down compared to 2016 30,200 tons. In contrast to the United States, the amount of rice exported to Australia and Germany in 2020 increased times and times compared to 2016, respectively, an increase from 9,042 tons to 32,403 tons and 1,812 tons to 8,621 tons. Currently, the proportion of rice exported to the US and EU accounts for a low proportion, partly due to the habit of using more wheat than rice, and partly because Vietnamese rice has not met the strict standards of these markets. In 2020, the rates of rice exports to the United States and European countries such as Poland, the Netherlands and France account for and of the total rice export value of the country, respectively. To be able to enter the EU, US or Japanese markets, Vietnamese rice grains must meet many strict quality standards. Accordingly, rice must ensure traceability with a clear planting area address, must meet GlobalGAP standards or equivalent, and no residues of pesticides, etc. The high-quality requirement of these high-end markets make the proportion of Vietnam's rice exports to these markets relatively small. Vietnamese farmers often abuse pesticides and chemical fertilizers in farming, so there have been a lot of export rice shipments with pesticide residues returned from the US, which has a negative impact on prices sales and reputation in Vietnam's export activities. Contrary to the structure of Vietnam's rice export market, Thai rice is mainly exported to the US, Germany, Japan, etc. with a much higher volume than Vietnam. In 2018, Thailand's rice exports to Germany reached the highest level of nearly 1,698 thousand tons, higher than the amount of rice exported to the Philippines 1,031 thousand tons, accounting for of Thailand's total rice exports. The US market is also an important rice export market of Thailand, reaching 672,183 tons, accounting for of Thailand's total rice exports in 2020. Thus, currently, Vietnam's main rice export market is still China and the Philippines. Previously, the volume of Vietnam's rice exports to China reached 2,162 thousand tons in 2015, however, in recent years, it has gradually decreased to only 762 thousand tons in 2020. This is an opportunity for Vietnam's rice industry to reduce dependence on the Chinese market, towards diversifying markets and exporting better varieties of rice. CONCLUSION AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS Vietnam has been exporting rice for more than 30 years and has increasingly affirmed its position in the world rice export market by improving quality, diversifying types and models as well as ensuring health standards and stable supply. In the period of 2010 - 2020, Vietnam's rice exports have progressed quite quickly in changing the structure of varieties towards quality rice and fragrant rice. In addition, the policy of diversifying the export rice market has also helped Vietnam's rice products access and promote advantages in difficult markets. However, Vietnamese rice still does not have a brand name, occupying a negligible market share in the world's largest value markets the United States, Germany, Japan, etc., still in the middle and easy segments and is losing market share in key markets such as China. Thai rice dominates in higher-end markets such as the EU, the US, Japan, etc. Therefore, the challenge of Vietnamese rice is how to move from the low-end rice segment to building a high-end rice brand. Meanwhile, competition in the premium rice segment is also very tough. Therefore, in order for Vietnam's rice export industry to develop sustainably, stably and modernly, and penetrate high-value rice markets, it is necessary to Continue to maintain the current rice business policy to ensure stability and create a competitive environment. Strengthen policy on new rice varieties 1 Protect plant breeders’ right; 2 Invest in research and breeding to create and improve quality varieties; 3 Organize the production of certified rice seeds of competitive advantage varieties, providing farmers with adequate supplies in the market. Promote the construction and promotion of Vietnam's rice brand by trade promotion programs, promote the promotion of brands of varieties with competitive advantages and prioritized markets in each period. REFERENCES Ministry of Industry and Trade 2021, Vietnam Import and Export Report 2020, Industry and Trade Publishing House. General Statistics Office, Statistical Yearbook for the years 2010 - 2020, Statistical Publishing House, Hanoi. General Department of Customs, Customs Statistical Yearbook for the years 2010 - 2020, Finance Publishing House, Hanoi. USDA, Global Market Analysis, January 2021. Rice has always been a traditional strong export of Vietnam. As a rice production hub of the world, the country is set to remain the world’s second largest rice exporter in 2021 with million tons, according to the US Department of Agriculture USDA. Up to now, Vietnamese rice has been eaten in over 150 countries and territories in the world, meeting the buyers in quantity, quality, packaging and delivery time. This ultimate guide will cover all aspects of the rice market in Vietnam. Read it to learn more about how to source and import Vietnamese rice. 1. Vietnam’s rice market at a glance2. How does Vietnam produce and process its rice? 3. Vietnam’s rice classification4. Was Vietnam’s rice export volume affected by COVID-19 pandemic? 1. Vietnam’s rice market at a glance Rice production plays a vital role in the agricultural and rural development of Vietnam. It is the country’s main crop, accounting for more than 90% of total cereal production according to the General Statistics Office. The two major rice production regions of Vietnam are Red River Delta and Mekong Delta. These delta regions occupy about 66% of the total rice production area and provide up to 70% of the total material paddy yield of the whole country. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development MARD, the Mekong Delta is still the largest “Rice Bowl” of Vietnam with ​​nearly 4 million hectares by 2019. This delta annually produces over 50% of total national rice production as well as over 90% of rice commodity for export. Vietnam Area, Yield and Paddy Production, 1993-2020. Source GSO According to GSO, the total paddy area and production in 2020 trend down due to urbanization, crop alteration, drought, and salinity intrusion impacts. However, rice production yields keep increasing for the past four years. In recent years, Vietnam has made a great effort in growing high productivity rice varieties and improving intensive cultivation competence of its farmers. As a result, Vietnamese paddy productivity remains stable and steadily increases every year. 2. How does Vietnam produce and process its rice? Rice has been grown in the country for thousands of years. There are three main crops in Vietnam, including winter-spring crops, summer-autumn crops and summer crops. Have a look at the below table to know more about the timeline of each crop Vietnamese rice production seasons Most rice grown in Vietnam is wet-rice, meaning that it is grown in flooded fields rather than dry land as it needs a constant supply of water. Seedlings are raised in nursery beds and transplanted after 25-50 days to flooded fields. The paddy stem is submerged in two to six inches of water and the seedlings placed in rows approximately a foot apart. Farmers will then constantly check to make sure the availability of certain water levels till harvesting time. Transplant process When the leaves of the rice stalks begin to turn yellow, farmers will drain and dry the paddies to prepare for the harvest. They then harvest rice by cutting the stalks with sickles. After that, they tie the stalks together and dry them. Farmers harvest rice with their sickles Threshing separates the grain from the rest of the plant. This phase has already been highly mechanicalized. Rice threshers and husking machines have relatively met farmers’ demands. After threshing, the grains are dried by exposing to the sun to be ready for storage. In recent years, the application of rice drier has been getting more and more popular. Vietnamese rice drier system The husk is removed from the kernel during milling. The bran layer, which contains the majority of the nutrients, is sometimes stripped away throughout the process. The bran coat on brown rice is still intact. Milling machines system in a Vietnamese rice processing company After going through these processes, rice can be selected identical. In recent times, the quality control process has been highly improved and achieved high effectiveness. The rate of unbroken rice grains is high and rice surface quality is good. Dust and noise are treated instantly inside the machines so environmental pollution can be avoided. 3. Vietnam’s rice classification Vietnam produces two major kinds of rice including sticky rice and ordinary rice of high and normal quality. The following are the classifications of Vietnamese ordinary rice varieties based on their structures, shapes, and colors. According to structures and shapes There are long grain rice, middle grain rice and short grain rice. According to colors There are brown rice, white rice, red rice and black rice. Regarding Vietnamese high quality rice, there are two kinds including special quality rice and fragrant rice. Especially for exporting, Vietnam exports the following kinds of rice 5% broken rice polished one time, 5% broken rice polished twice, 10%, 15%, 25% and 100% broken rice. Besides, Vietnam also exports glutinous and sticky rice, ordinary rice, rice parboiling and fragrant rice. In the current export structure, white rice still predominates. Vietnamese white rice is a competitor of Thai average and high quality rice. Regarding export categories, in 2020, the export value of white rice accounted for of the total turnover; jasmine rice and fragrant rice accounted for sticky rice accounted for japonica rice and Japanese rice varieties accounted for according to the MARD. Vietnamese broken rice 4. Was Vietnam’s rice export volume affected by COVID-19 pandemic? While several agricultural commodities had major drops in 2020, the rice business saw tremendous growth. Rice is the agricultural product with the highest growth value, according to statistics from the Agency of Foreign Trade. Vietnam earned over US$3 billion from exporting rice in 2020, as stated by Vietnam Food Association VFA, a year-on-year increase of more than 10%. Despite the challenges provided by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, rice exporters swiftly adjusted their strategies and actively sought new markets, fully utilizing the benefits of FTAs. As said by Vice Chairman of the VFA, Do Ha Nam, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement EVFTA has created a significant potential for Vietnamese rice to enter European markets and then expand into other competitive areas. Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam At Viego Global, we know it’s more than just finding the right Vietnam supplier since every step of the supply chain requires proper implementation in order to ensure Vietnam quality commodities are well delivered to clients. We always try our best to determine the best suppliers based on customers’ needs. During research on potential suppliers, discussion and factory visits, we inspect every single thing from business license, capacity, to past orders as well as the equipment and the workers’ competence. This is why Viego Global makes sure that you can reach the best Vietnam suppliers at the most competitive price. Apart from Rice, we also provide insights on other Agricultural products from Vietnam. Jump to Vietnam’s Coffee Market, Vietnam’s Pepper Market, Vietnam’s Cashew Market and also check many other tips for sourcing from Vietnam.

vietnam is a rice export country