Production of rice paddy in Vietnam 2012-2023

In 2023, the production volume of rice paddies in Vietnam was estimated to reach approximately 43.5 million metric tons. This indicated an increase compared to the previous year. Vietnam is among the leading rice producers and exporters worldwide.

Rice production in Vietnam

Vietnam has a long tradition of wet-rice cultivation that dates back thousands of years. Rice farming is the backbone of its agricultural sector. The country harvested around seven million hectares of rice each year, placing it among the world’s leading rice producers in harvest areas. White rice, jasmine rice, and glutinous rice are some of the most popular made-in-Vietnam rice categories for both domestic consumption and exports. Vietnamese farmers have also been working on cultivating more premium rice varieties to increase the economic value of these grains in recent years, with the most well-known variety being ST25, a kind of fragrant white rice grown in the Mekong Delta.

Mekong Delta – the “rice bowl” of Vietnam

The Mekong River delta, one of the most intensively cultivated deltas in the world, accounts for more than half of the total yield of rice production in Vietnam. The delta is known for its fertile alluvial soil with nutritious sediments deposited by the flowing water in the region. However, due to its geographical formation as a low-lying landform, the Mekong delta is highly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters – especially floods. Rising sea levels not only aggravate flood hazards in the region but also lead to the salination of freshwater for farming. Saline intrusion degrades soils and hinders the growth of crops, thus affecting the production yield. With the region’s waning fertility caused by natural phenomena and human exploitation activities, Vietnam seeks to develop more climate-resilient crops and endorse more sustainable farming techniques.