Lam Dong moves toward a green, multi-value agricultural economy

Mr. Le Trong Yen, Vice Chairman of the Lam Dong Provincial People’s Committee, shared a comprehensive assessment of the province’s agricultural achievements, opportunities, and development directions in the new phase after the merger.

Looking back on its development journey, it is clear that agriculture has always been the pillar of Lam Dong province, playing a crucial role in its socio-economic growth. With its unique topography, climate, and soil conditions, Lam Dong has long established its position as one of Vietnam’s leading hubs for high-tech agriculture.

After the merger of three provinces, Lam Dong has become the locality with the largest agricultural scale in the country, boasting more than 880,000 hectares of cultivated land, including over 107,000 hectares applying high technology and nearly 150,000 hectares under safe farming practices.

The province’s agricultural production value has maintained a stable annual growth rate of 4.5–5%, while agricultural export turnover exceeds USD 1.2 billion per year, with coffee, vegetables, flowers, and tea accounting for the largest share. Specialized farming zones for vegetables, flowers, seedlings, and fruit trees are well-planned and apply advanced technology and traceability systems, helping Lam Dong’s products reach more than 50 countries.

Key products such as coffee, vegetables, flowers, tea, dragon fruit, dairy cattle, and cold-water fish have been granted intellectual property protection, contributing to the province’s robust export growth. With its temperate climate, fertile soil, and strong foundation in agricultural technology, Lam Dong holds great potential to become Vietnam’s leading center for green, organic, and smart agriculture.

On July 1, 2025, under Resolution 202/2025/QH15, the three provinces of Lam Dong, Dak Nong, and Binh Thuan officially merged to form the new Lam Dong Province. This marked the beginning of a new phase of development - broader in scale, richer in potential, and stronger in regional connectivity. The new Lam Dong possesses diverse geographical conditions: temperate highlands, fertile red basalt soil, and dry coastal plains - a rare ecological structure that supports a multi-chain agricultural ecosystem combining industrial crops, fruit trees, livestock, aquaculture, processing, and related services.

However, major opportunities also bring significant challenges. Differences in natural conditions and production capacity among the three regions are evident. While the former Lam Dong has advanced high-tech agriculture, Dak Nong is still improving its infrastructure, and Binh Thuan faces a dry climate and limited water resources. The logistics, cold storage, and transport systems for agricultural production remain inadequate, hindering circulation and deep processing.

Product standardization, traceability, and quality control also remain weak points. Environmental protection, particularly in managing agricultural waste and livestock wastewater, poses growing challenges as production expands. Additionally, the merger of three provinces has created a large, multi-layered administrative structure, requiring time to stabilize governance and ensure consistent, effective agricultural policies across the new province.

In this context, the newly established Lam Dong Province has defined its agricultural development orientation as “enhancing value - promoting sustainability - adapting with flexibility.” The province will restructure its agricultural sector along regional value chains: the highlands will focus on high-quality vegetables, flowers, coffee, and tea; the southwestern red-soil areas will expand industrial crops, pepper, cocoa, and organic livestock farming; while the coastal zone will develop fruit trees, aquaculture, and biotechnology-based agriculture. At the same time, the province prioritizes investment in logistics infrastructure, processing centers, and cold storage facilities; expands international cooperation in seed research and technology transfer; and attracts greater foreign direct investment (FDI).

Digital transformation is regarded as a key driver of value chain management through the implementation of digital planting area management systems, electronic traceability labels, and online agricultural trading platforms, fostering closer connections among farmers, cooperatives, and enterprises. In terms of environmental goals, Lam Dong aims to have 100% of agricultural production facilities adopt eco-friendly practices, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and utilize agricultural by-products for biomass energy production by 2030.

The merger marks a historic opportunity for Lam Dong to become a modern, multi-value-chain, and sustainable agricultural hub of the South Central Highlands and South Central Coast region. However, to turn this opportunity into reality, the province needs strong coordination among government, businesses, and farmers, clear planning, targeted investment, and sustained action. With its solid foundation and spirit of innovation, the new Lam Dong has every condition to become a model of green and integrated agriculture in Vietnam’s new era of sustainable development and global integration.

On the occasion of the 80th Anniversary of Agriculture and Environment Day and the 1st National Emulation Congress, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is organizing a series of events from July to December 2025. The centerpiece will be the anniversary celebration and the congress, scheduled for the morning of November 12, 2025, at the National Convention Center in Hanoi, with over 1,200 delegates in attendance. VAN News will broadcast the event live.