Export volume increases
According to Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in June 2026, Vietnam is estimated to export approximately 910,000 tonnes of rice, earning US$373.1 million. In the first six months of the year, rice export reached approximately 5.2 million tonnes, valued at US$2.38 billion, an increase of 9.9% in volume but a decrease of 2.5% in value compared to the same period in 2025. Main reason is that average export price of rice only reached about US$459.6/tonne, a decrease of 11.3% compared to the same period last year.
The Philippines continues to be the largest market for Vietnamese rice, accounting for about 45% of total export value. China ranks second with 19.4%, followed by Ghana with 8.5%. Notably, rice export to China increased by 87% in the first five months of the year, while exports to the Philippines decreased by 3.8% and Ghana by 24.7%. Among the top 15 largest markets, Iraq recorded the highest growth, 132.4 times higher than the same period last year, while Cambodia experienced the sharpest decline at 68.1%. This trend shows that businesses are gradually diversifying their markets but still remain significantly dependent on a few traditional markets.
According to Reuters, in June, price of Vietnamese rice exports increased slightly due to market concerns that the El Nino phenomenon could affect the supply of the new crop in Asia. Currently, Vietnamese 5% broken rice is being offered at $410-415 per ton, an increase of about $5 per ton compared to end of May. Meanwhile, price of Thai rice has risen sharply to $480-500 per tonne, about $30 per tonne higher than previous month. High prices have led many customers, especially in Africa, to switch to importing Indian rice, which costs only around $340-346 per tonne.
According to international traders, entire global rice market is closely monitoring the new crop production in Asia amidst predictions of a strong El Nino event in July and August, affecting global supply.
Domestically, rice market in the Mekong Delta is showing mixed trends across different varieties. In An Giang, prices for many fresh paddy varieties such as IR50404, OM5451, Dai Thom and OM18 have increased compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, in Dong Thap, price of dried paddy has decreased slightly. For commercial rice, retail and purchase prices are generally stable or slightly increasing. The price of finished raw rice has also edged up in both the 5% and 25% broken rice segments.
Maintaining market stability and increasing the value of the industry.
Speaking with a reporter from Industry and Trade Newspaper, Mr. Le Thanh Tung, Permanent Vice Chairman and General Secretary of Vietnam Rice Industry Association (VIETRISA), said that global rice consumption demand in the last six months of the year will not fluctuate significantly. Annual world rice production and trade only fluctuate within a certain range, so supply and demand remain within forecasts. However, El Nino is impacting many Southeast Asian countries and may affect production in the 2026-2027 crop year. Additional supply from now until the end of the year will mainly come from the Summer-Autumn and Autumn-Winter crops, but the volume will not be very large. Therefore, Vietnam's rice exports are forecast to remain stable.
Regarding prices, Mr. Le Thanh Tung believes that there may be localized price increases in some major importing markets such as the Philippines or China when demand surges, but these are mainly short-term fluctuations. “It is crucial that farmers and businesses remain calm and proactively organize production according to plan, avoiding chasing temporary market fluctuations”, Mr. Tung emphasized.
According to Mr. Le Thanh Tung, developing low-emission rice production is no longer an option but a requirement for the entire Vietnamese rice industry. With approximately 3.8 million hectares of rice land and over 7 million hectares planted annually, applying emission reduction solutions will contribute to reducing input costs, improving rice quality, increasing farmers' income, and meeting export market standards. However, technical solutions need to be implemented flexibly according to each ecological region. While the Mekong Delta prioritizes reducing amount of seeds sown, the Red River Delta needs to leverage advantages of mechanization to reduce labor costs and improve production efficiency.
In particular, Mr. Le Thanh Tung believes that cooperatives continue to play a key role in the restructuring of rice industry. Linking farmers into concentrated production areas will facilitate the synchronized application of mechanization, advanced farming processes, reduced emissions and establishment of sustainable consumption chains.
“We need to change our mindset from creating large fields with few farmers to building large fields with the participation of many farmers through cooperatives. This is direction suitable for Vietnam's production conditions and is also foundation for rice industry to enhance its competitiveness in future,” Mr. Le Thanh Tung affirmed.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn