The average rice export price went up by over 18 per cent over the same period last year. The grain was sold at 959 USD per tonne in Brunei, 868 USD in the US, 857 USD in the Netherlands, 847 USD in Ukraine, 836 USD in Iraq, and 831 USD in Turkey.

Most notably, in the first quarter, Vietnam's rice exports to France increased dramatically to 18,200 tonnes worth 19.1 million USD.

During the period, Vietnam shipped 46,000 tonnes to the European Union (EU), earning 41.4 million USD, an increase of nearly 118 per cent over the same period last year.

The Vietnam Trade Office in the EU said Vietnam's specialty fragrant rice varieties such as ST25, ST24, Nang Hoa, and OM are favoured in the market thanks to their standout quality, leading to their high prices there.

In the first three months of this year, Vietnam also exported up to 135,300 tonnes of rice to the American market, with a turnover of 94.5 million USD, up 299 per cent year-on-year.

In the first half, Vietnam's rice exports reached 4.7 million tonnes, a rise of 10.4 per cent year-over-year, and its export turnover reached nearly 3 billion USD, up 32 per cent.