Rice science, driver to transition from life-sustaining grains to global recognition

Thanks to strong transformation, from a nation struggling with rice shortages, Vietnam has consistently ranked among the world’s top rice exporters since re-entering the global rice market in 1989. In recent years, the country has firmly held its position in the Top 3, alongside India and Thailand.

Despite being a leading exporter, Vietnamese rice was not highly valued in international markets for a long time, as medium- and low-grade rice sold at low prices accounted for a large share of total exports.

Rise of high-quality, fragrant rice

However, that story has changed. Today, Vietnamese rice is no longer just a life-sustaining grain; it has become a globally recognized product for both volume and quality. High-value, fragrant varieties such as DT8, Jasmine, Japonica, and especially ST25, which won the World's Best Rice award in 2019, have gained a foothold in international markets. This shift has allowed Vietnam to maintain a sustainable export performance even when global rice supply and demand fluctuate.

Speaking with the Vietnam Agriculture and Nature Newspaper, Mr. Do Ha Nam, Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association, emphasized that Vietnam’s success is rooted in its ability to create fragrant, specialty rice varieties through the tremendous efforts of both scientists and farmers.

"In the past, Vietnam mainly produced low-grade rice varieties similar to many other countries around the world. But our scientists and farmers worked tirelessly to develop new varieties such as DT, OM, Jasmine, Japonica, and especially renowned ST rice. These fragrant rice varieties are now highly favored not only in Asia and Africa but also in developed markets. Thanks to this, we have been able to enhance the value of Vietnamese rice and build a distinct market segment," Mr. Nam shared.

National breeding programs: Foundation for success

Mr. Le Thanh Tung, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Rice Sector Association, highlighted that Vietnam’s progress did not come from relying on naturally gifted rice varieties, as in some other nations. Instead, it was the result of deliberate and suitable national breeding programs.

"Our ancestors did not leave us famous specialty rice varieties like India's Basmati or Thailand's Khaodakmali. But we launched national breeding programs about 20-30 years ago. At first, the focus was on varieties with high yields, adaptability to multiple regions, and resistance to pests and diseases, which is considered crucial for transforming Vietnam from a country facing food shortages into an exporter," Mr. Tung explained.

The Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Rice Sector Association added that the breeding program subsequently advanced to a second group of varieties, which has all the characteristics of the first group but adds high quality. According to researchers, "high quality" means rice that is white and translucent, with long grains and a slightly soft or fluffy texture.

At an even higher level, there are premium varieties that remain high-yielding, adaptable to multiple ecological regions, and resistant to pests and diseases but also climate-resilient, capable of withstanding droughts, floods, salinity, and acid sulfate soils. Today, truly high-quality, fragrant specialty varieties, such as ST25 and DT8, also meet these criteria.

Therefore, a suitable national breeding strategy and the response of institutes, research agencies, enterprises, cooperatives, and farmers have created a comprehensive set of varieties capable of supplying different global market segments, from high-quality rice for Africa to Japonica and other round-grain varieties for East Asian markets such as South Korea and Japan, as well as South Asia and Australia.

After a long period of focusing on yield and output, rice production in Vietnam has been undergoing a positive shift toward emphasizing high-quality rice production while reducing the acreage and volume of medium- and low-grade rice.

As a result, Vietnam's rice exports have seen a clear change in the structure of exported rice categories. In the past, medium- and low-grade rice accounted for a large proportion of total exports, but their share has now declined significantly.

Meanwhile, high-grade white rice, fragrant Jasmine, ST24, ST25, glutinous rice, and Japonica rice have been accounting for an increasingly large share of exports, both in volume and turnover.