Vietnam exports more than 8.06 million tonnes of rice in 2025. (Photo: VNA)

The figures represented a year-on-year decline of 10.8% in volume and 27.6% in value, clearly reflecting the impact of the global downturn in rice prices over the past year.

The country’s 5% broken rice was quoted in recent days at between 360 and 365 USD per tonne. A trader in Ho Chi Minh City said trading activity has slowed amid weak overseas demand, forecasting that demand is likely to remain subdued as the Philippines and Indonesia may curb purchases, while supplies from India are expected to rise sharply.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, as of December 31, the Mekong Delta, Vietnam’s largest granary, had planted 921,000 hectares of the 2025–2026 Winter–Spring rice crop, equivalent to 73.8% of the total planned area of 1.266 million hectares. Some early-sown areas have already begun to be harvested.