{"id":25883,"date":"2026-09-16T17:59:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T10:59:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/b-company.jp\/?p=25883"},"modified":"2026-09-16T17:59:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T10:59:30","slug":"vietnams-agriculture-current-landscape-and-business-opportunities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/b-company.jp\/zh\/vietnams-agriculture-current-landscape-and-business-opportunities\/","title":{"rendered":"\u8d8a\u5357\u519c\u4e1a\uff1a\u5f53\u524d\u683c\u5c40\u4e0e\u5546\u4e1a\u673a\u9047"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"B&Company-Vietnam<\/a><\/p>\n

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B&Company is the first Japanese company specializing in market research and investment consulting in Vietnam since 2008.<\/em><\/p>\n

This article is written in English and automatic translation is used for other language versions. Please refer to the English version for accurate content. Although we strive to ensure the accuracy of the original information, please check separately for each information. Interpretations and future prospects are the personal opinions of each researcher. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t

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Abstract<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vietnam\u2019s agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector continued to demonstrate resilience in 2025, reaching an estimated value of $59.8B and a record export value of $70.63B, despite a gradual decline in its GDP share as industry and services expanded more rapidly. The sector is driven by four key trends: mechanization, smart agriculture, sustainable low-emission production, and stricter compliance and traceability requirements. Based on these developments, this article suggests investment opportunities for Japanese investors in agricultural machinery, smart farming technologies, post-harvest processing and cold chain solutions, and digital traceability systems.<\/p>\n

Sector overview<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vietnam\u2019s agriculture, forestry and fishery sector continued to increase from around $43B in 2020 to around $59.8B in 2025, equivalent to an increase of nearly 48% over five years. This shows that the sector is still expanding in economic value; however, its share of GDP declined from 12.7% in 2020 to around 11.6% in 2025. This decline implies that Vietnam has a broader economic structure, where industry, construction, and services are expanding faster than primary agriculture.<\/p>\n

Contribution and GDP share of agriculture sector 2020-2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Contribution<\/em><\/p>\n

Source: NSO<\/em><\/p>\n

Vietnam\u2019s agriculture sector has grown steadily despite global headwinds. In 2025, the agro-forestry-fishery sector grew around 3.78%, compared to overall GDP growth of 8.02%, and accounted for about 12% of GDP. Moreover, agri-forestry-fishery exports were $70.63B, 12% higher than 2024 YoY, which far surpassed the official target of $65B, resulting in a trade surplus of over $20B[1]<\/a>. However, in comparison to other sectors, agriculture only contributes roughly 5.3% of annual GDP growth, after services (51.1%) and industry (43.6%) contributed shares[2]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some major agricultural export products 2020-2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

(billion USD)
\n\"Some
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Source: Department of Vietnam Customs, Ministry of Industry and Trade<\/em><\/p>\n

The agriculture sector\u2019s export value has nearly doubled in recent years, from $41.2B in 2020 to $70.63B in 2025. Notably, 5 key agricultural products each exceed $1B in annual exports. The largest export segments (2025) include Fishery ($11.2B), Coffee ($8.9B), and Vegetable & Fruit ($8.6B); other key commodities are Cashew and Rice.<\/p>\n

In 2025, in all major export markets by value, Asia accounted for the largest contribution to the agricultural export market of 45.2%, followed by the Americas (22.8%) and Europe (13.2%). Regarding individual markets, China remains the single largest market (22.3%), followed by the US (20.6%) and Japan (7.1%). Exports to Europe and Africa saw rapid rises (+34% and +68% YoY, respectively) in 2025, indicating diversification beyond traditional markets[3]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Domestically, agricultural production remained resilient despite adverse weather, climate risks and external market volatility. In 2025, total grain output reached 48.09M tons, livestock production 8.7M tons of live-weight meat and 21.4B eggs, while fisheries output totaled 9.78M tons, ensuring a stable supply for both domestic consumption and exports. Forestry also maintained its economic and environmental role, with wood and forestry exports exceeding $18B. Meanwhile, the sector continued its transition toward a more market-oriented, standardized, and sustainable agricultural system through digitalization and innovation, maintaining more than 2,500 agricultural value chains, expanding over 174,000 ha of organic farming, strengthening agricultural data infrastructure, and introducing new crop varieties and technical innovations that improved economic efficiency by an estimated 30%[4]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Regarding Vietnam\u2019s government policy framework, they also support the development of quality-, data- and sustainability-driven agriculture. The Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy 2021\u20132030[5]<\/a> and Resolution No. 19\/2022\/NQ-TW[6]<\/a> emphasize green agriculture, large-scale production, science and technology, higher quality, added value and better agricultural infrastructure. More specific policies are now being implemented in key areas: the \u201cOne-million-hectare high-quality, low-emission rice\u201d scheme targets methane reduction and premium rice exports; the 2025 rice production and MRV protocols provide technical rules for low-emission farming; the methane reduction action plan and circular economy action plan promote resource efficiency and emission reduction; and agriculture digital transformation policies support smart farming, data infrastructure and traceability[7]<\/a>. Together, these policies show that Vietnam\u2019s agriculture development goals are increasingly linked to productivity, compliance, sustainability and value-chain upgrading.<\/p>\n

Overall, the export structure suggests that Vietnam\u2019s agriculture is gradually becoming more market-oriented. Strong export performance in fishery products, coffee, fruits and vegetables, together with continued access to key markets such as China, the US and Japan, shows that the sector remains a major export pillar. However, future growth will likely focus more on improving quality, productivity, compliance, and value-chain efficiency to adapt to international standards, and increasingly developing low-emissions and sustainable agriculture to meet the government\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n

Agricultural<\/strong> development<\/strong> trends<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mechanization <\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Vietnam\u2019s policies and foreign investment are accelerating a shift to large\u2010scale, machinery-driven agriculture with domestic value\u2010addition. Under Decision No. 858\/Q\u0110-TTg (2022), the government had set very high mechanization targets, reflecting the move from fragmented smallholdings toward concentrated commodity farms. In recent years, mechanization has become increasingly common in small-scale agriculture, with cooperatives and households adopting machinery and technologies. For example, in Hai Duong, the \u201cfootprint-free field\u201d model mechanizes land preparation, transplanting, spraying, fertilization and harvesting, helping reduce labor, lower pesticide use and improve economic efficiency; while in Dong Thap, drones are increasingly used for pesticide spraying, with farmers reporting cost reductions and lower dependence on manual labor. These cases show that mechanization is not only about productivity, but also about solving labor shortages, reducing input costs and standardizing production[8]<\/a>. However, Vietnamese agricultural machinery production remains limited of only 32% of demand, while 60\u201370% is supplied by foreign manufacturers, so farm equipment imports and local manufacturing (e.g. tractors, harvesters, drones) are expected to grow.<\/p>\n

Smart Agriculture <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/h4>\n

Smart agriculture and agri-tech adoption are becoming more relevant as Vietnam seeks to improve productivity, reduce input costs and meet stricter export standards. Under Decision No.749\/QD-TTg on the \u201cNational Digital Transformation Programme until 2025, with a vision to 2030\u201d, the government has emphasized the need to build agricultural big data systems, including data on rice land, forests, fruit trees, industrial crops, livestock and aquaculture, as well as observation and monitoring networks for agricultural activities[9]<\/a>. Moreover, agri-tech adoption is emerging through AI-based farm management tools, IoT-enabled soil and water monitoring, drone-based crop monitoring and spraying, and digital traceability platforms as Vietnam\u2019s AI-in-agriculture market was valued at around $10.4M in 2025 and is projected to grow 18.6% through 2034, with precision farming, machine learning, crop analytics and drone analytics identified as key application areas[10]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sustainable<\/em><\/strong> Agriculture<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Vietnam\u2019s government policies are increasingly promoting climate-resilient, resource-efficient, and low-carbon production. The Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy 2021\u20132030 and the Action Plan on Methane Emissions Reduction (2024\u20132030) encourage the adoption of sustainable farming practices, efficient resource use, and greenhouse gas reduction; and the National Action Plan for Circular Economy promotes circular production models and the utilization of agricultural by-products[11]<\/a>. Furthermore, Decision 1490\/Q\u0110-TTg provides the policy foundation for the \u201cOne Million Hectares of High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice\u201d Scheme, which aims to develop one million hectares of climate-smart rice cultivation in the Mekong Delta by 2030 through improved water management, optimized input use, traceability, and stronger value chain integration[12]<\/a>. In support of the scheme, technologies and sustainable farming applications, including Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation, mechanized direct seeding, precision fertilizer application, integrated pest management (IPM), straw recycling, and digital monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems are being deployed to reduce methane emissions and production costs[13]<\/a>. Early pilot results have shown lower seed, fertilizer, pesticide, and water consumption while maintaining or improving yields, increasing farmers\u2019 profitability, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, demonstrating the viability of scaling sustainable rice production nationwide[14]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Compliance and Traceability<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

International market access now hinges on compliance. Exporters to the EU, US, Japan, and even China must meet stringent food safety, residue, and origin-tracking requirements, which has become painfully clear in 2025. For instance, Vietnam\u2019s durian exports to China were repeatedly returned due to pesticide and cadmium residues in early 2025, and only after farmers improved practices and exporters adopted traceability controls did shipments rebound. The government is supporting this transition as Vietnam has launched a national produce traceability system, which uses origin data, production-area data, enterprise data and consignment data. The system was first piloted on durians and then expanded the system to other key products such as rice, meat, eggs, milk, pineapple, passion fruit and tea[15]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is also supporting this trend as it affects key Vietnamese export groups such as coffee, rubber and wood products and requires exporters and EU buyers to prove that products are deforestation-free through due diligence and geolocation data[16]<\/a>. At the same time, carbon-related trade rules are becoming more relevant. The EU CBAM does not directly apply to most agricultural products, but it covers fertilisers and signals a broader movement toward embedded-emission reporting and carbon-cost transparency. For agriculture, this means exporters and processors will face increasing pressure to manage input use, emissions data and sustainability credentials, especially when selling to buyers in Europe and Japan[17]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Opportunities & recommendations<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vietnam\u2019s shift toward high-tech and sustainable agriculture is opening entry points for foreign partners. Foreign firms with strengths in machinery, precision tech, and food safety are well-positioned to meet unmet demand and support ongoing modernization efforts.<\/p>\n

Mechanization gap creates room for entry<\/strong>: Vietnam has strong demand for tractors, harvesters, drones, and irrigation systems, but limited domestic supply. This opens opportunities for Japanese firms to export or assemble machinery locally, especially for large-scale, mechanized farms.<\/p>\n

Digital and AI solutions are gaining traction<\/strong>: With government policies promoting smart agriculture, demand is rising for IoT, AI, and digital farm tools. Japanese tech companies can consider investing in IoT sensors, AI-driven farm management platforms, precision irrigation systems, and digital traceability tools. Partnerships with Vietnamese startups or cooperatives to deploy these technologies will improve yields and meet buyers\u2019 quality\/safety standards.<\/p>\n

Sustainability targets invite climate-smart solutions<\/strong>: Policies on green agriculture create demand for efficient irrigation, bio-based inputs (such as biofertilizers, biopesticides), and waste-to-energy solutions. Investors providing these can align with sustainability goals and benefit from green finance or carbon credits.<\/p>\n

Export markets drive higher standards<\/strong>: To meet stricter import rules of international markets, Vietnam is upgrading food processing, cold chain, and traceability systems. Expertise of foreign firms in clean processing, QR-traceability, and cold chain logistics can support certified supply chains for export crops. For example, partnerships to develop certified supply chains (from farm to export) will be crucial for crops like fruits, vegetables, and seafood that target Japan and the EU.<\/p>\n

Traceability and safety are now essential<\/strong>: With a national traceability system launched in 2025, there\u2019s growing demand for digital tracking tools and food testing services. Companies offering digital traceability systems, QR\u2010label solutions, or third\u2010party inspection\/testing labs and farmer training to meet MRL and safety standards can support agricultural exporters and farmers in Vietnam.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Update on Vietnam Agriculture market \u2013 Q4\/2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n