Many markets increase purchases of Vietnamese rice
According to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the volume and value of rice exports in the first 5 months of 2025 reached 4.5 million tons and 2.34 billion USD, up 12.2% in volume but down 8.9% in value compared to the same period in 2024. The average export price of rice in the first 5 months of 2025 is estimated at 516.4 USD/ton, down 18.7% compared to the same period in 2024.
The Philippines is Vietnam's largest rice consumer market with a market share of 41.4%. Ivory Coast and China are the next two largest markets with market shares of 11.9% and 10.3%, respectively.
China is a large and traditional rice export market for Vietnam. With geographical advantages and cultural similarities, Vietnamese rice products exported to China have been well received and consumed by the Chinese people. Vietnam has exported a variety of rice varieties to China such as white rice, fragrant rice, sticky rice, etc.
In 2024, Vietnam's rice exports to the Chinese market reached 285.2 thousand tons, worth 167.8 million USD. In the first 5 months of 2025, China also imported nearly 412.3 thousand tons of rice from Vietnam, an increase of 102.7% in volume and 75.4% in value over the same period in 2024. In the first 5 months of 2025, sticky rice and ST25 rice were the types of rice exported by Vietnam to China the most. These are popular products, thanks to their unique flavor and high quality.
Speaking to reporters of the Industry and Trade Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh - Director of Phuoc Thanh IV Production and Trading Company Limited (Vinh Long) said that in the period from 2019 to 2020, the Chinese market mainly imported regular rice. However, recently, they have imported a lot of sticky rice. Since the beginning of the year, the Chinese market has consumed rice very strongly, in which, this market mainly imports ST25 rice and sticky rice from Vietnam.
Along with China, Vietnamese rice is also exported to demanding markets, in which, a batch of 'low-emission green Vietnamese rice' from Vietnam was exported to the Japanese market in early June 2025 and Australia is expected to be the next export market for 'low-emission green Vietnamese rice'. This opens up new prospects for the Vietnamese rice industry.
In addition, traditional markets such as the Philippines and Africa continue to increase their imports of Vietnamese rice. Therefore, Vietnam's rice exports are expected to continue to be positive and reach an output of about 7.9 million tons in 2025 despite many fluctuations in the global rice market.
Choosing its own path, Vietnamese rice is less affected
According to Reuters, updated to early June 2025, India's rice reserves (including paddy) reached 59.5 million tons, an increase of 18% over the same period in 2024. This figure is 13.5 million tons higher than the country's reserve target in the first half of 2025. Due to the sharp increase in food reserves, India is facing the need to reduce its rice inventory before the new harvest begins in October 2025.
India's release of its stocks will affect rice exporting countries. The question is, will Vietnam, one of the top 3 rice exporting countries, be affected? Regarding this, businesses in the industry believe that India is white rice and Vietnam is fragrant rice, because they are not in the same segment, Vietnamese rice will be less affected.
"Vietnamese rice is not in the same segment and market as Indian rice, so the release of stock from this market will have little impact on Vietnamese rice," said Mr. Do Ha Nam - Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association, adding that Vietnamese rice is still competitive with domestic products and other sources in the Philippines - Vietnam's leading rice export market.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the proportion of high-quality rice in Vietnam accounts for 89%. Vietnam's rice export price is still higher than that of many other countries, reflecting its superior quality and increasingly enhanced reputation.
Industry experts also believe that the world rice market has recently fluctuated in the direction of increasing supply. However, because Vietnamese rice is positioned in a different segment with little competition, the impact, although there is, is not significant.
Notably, Vietnam is the first country to implement the large-scale emission reduction rice production program, receiving much attention from international partners. The pilot models have achieved very positive results, creating great encouragement for farmers and businesses. This also opens up a completely new market opportunity for the Vietnamese rice industry, penetrating deeply into high-end markets.
Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy commented that there will come a time when the world market, especially in demanding markets, will declare to stop importing rice other than low-emission rice. This means that only green rice and low-emission rice can be exported. Therefore, businesses and industries taking the lead will be the way for Vietnamese rice to maintain a high-quality market.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn