Soybean industry sees renewed growth potential

Complete source of plant protein

At the scientific workshop titled “The Nutritional Role of Soybeans and Nuts in Health Promotion and the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases,” jointly organized by the National Institute of Nutrition and the Vinasoy Soybean Research & Application Center (VSAC) in Ho Chi Minh City on June 26, experts highlighted that a plant-rich diet can play a significant role in disease prevention and support healthier living for the Vietnamese population.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Truong Tuyet Mai, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, modern nutrition science is no longer concerned solely with ensuring adequate nutrient intake. Increasing emphasis is being placed on food quality, long-term health outcomes, and the sustainability of food systems.

A nutritionally balanced, plant-rich diet not only helps regulate blood lipid and blood glucose levels but also improves gut microbiota health, contributing to the comprehensive prevention and management of chronic non-communicable diseases.

Among plant-based foods, legumes and nuts, particularly soybeans, are regarded as especially valuable components of a healthy diet.

Dr. Nguyen Song Tu of the National Institute of Nutrition noted that soybeans are one of the few complete plant protein sources, with a Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) of 1.0, comparable to animal protein, and containing all nine essential amino acids. Soybeans and other nuts are also rich in bioactive compounds such as isoflavones, lecithin, and dietary fiber, while providing unsaturated fats and essential micronutrients that offer significant cardiovascular health benefits.

One of the workshop's most notable highlights was the latest findings on the prebiotic components of soybeans and oats. It has attracted considerable attention in current nutrition research. Prebiotics are non-digestible compounds that pass through the stomach and small intestine intact before being selectively fermented by beneficial microorganisms in the large intestine, thereby providing health benefits to the host.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Dang Minh Nhat of Da Nang University of Science and Technology, an experimental study evaluating the prebiotic activity of Fami Green Soy Unsweetened Soy Milk and whole-grain oat beverage produced using Whole Soya milling technology found that both products achieved high positive Prebiotic Activity Scores (PAS) ranging from 0.9 to 2.1. The products were shown to effectively promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, while inhibiting pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli).

The Whole Soya milling technology highlighted by Associate Professor Dr. Dang Minh Nhat is currently being applied at the manufacturing facilities of Viet Nam Soymilk Company (Vinasoy) and offers several significant advantages.

The workshop took place against the backdrop of Viet Nam's Law on Disease Prevention (Law No. 114/2025/QH15), which was adopted by the 15th National Assembly at its 10th session on December 10, 2025, and officially came into effect on July 1, 2026. The new law marks a strategic shift in the country's healthcare system from a treatment-focused approach to one centered on proactive disease prevention.

In his opening remarks, Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thanh Duong, Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, emphasized: “The Law on Disease Prevention marks a significant shift from a treatment-oriented approach to proactive disease prevention. In this transition, nutrition plays a fundamental role because it is the factor that can have the earliest, broadest, and most sustainable impact on public health.”

How can Viet Nam revive soybean production?

Prof. Dr. Sci. Tran Dinh Long, President of the Viet Nam Seed Trade Association, spoke highly of the strategic importance of soybeans. For decades, he has referred to soybeans as “gold growing from the soil” because they are not only a nutritionally valuable crop but also capable of biological nitrogen fixation. After each soybean crop, the plants leave behind 30-60 kg of nitrogen per hectare, equivalent to 65–130 kg of urea fertilizer per hectare. Through this natural mechanism, soybeans play a vital role in improving soil fertility, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and providing a sustainable source of raw materials.

Despite these advantages, Viet Nam's soybean cultivation area has declined sharply in recent years, falling from around 200,000 hectares in 2010 to just over 26,300 hectares in 2025. The main reason is that soybean cultivation currently offers relatively low economic returns for farmers, with limited varieties being a key challenge.

Although Viet Nam has achieved notable progress in soybean breeding, developing improved varieties such as DT22, DT26, and Vinasoy 02-NS, Prof. Dr. Sci. Tran Dinh Long noted that significant gaps remain. Viet Nam still lacks a sufficient number of stable, high-yielding varieties capable of producing more than 4 tonnes per hectare, comparable to leading international cultivars. There is also a shortage of specialized soybean varieties tailored for food processing, industrial processing, and high-protein production.

The application of biotechnology, including molecular markers and gene editing, remains limited. There is still a shortage of soybean varieties adapted to climate change, as well as varieties specifically developed for animal feed. High-protein soybean cultivars are also lacking. In addition, the oleic acid content of Vietnamese soybean varieties remains low (below 30%), whereas the market increasingly demands high-oleic varieties with levels exceeding 80%.

According to Prof. Dr. Sci. Tran Dinh Long, within Viet Nam’s National Nutrition Strategy and the growing trend toward green consumption, soybean is regarded as a promising crop for developing high-value, plant-based nutritional products.

Soybean also offers significantly higher protein conversion efficiency per unit of land than livestock production. Consequently, greater use of soybean-derived plant protein can reduce pressure on land, water, and energy resources while lowering greenhouse gas emissions across the food system.

Developing high-quality soybean production areas is therefore of strategic importance for securing domestic plant protein supplies, reducing imports of feed ingredients, expanding the domestic market for nutritious food products, increasing farmers’ incomes, and promoting organic and circular agriculture.

Prof. Dr. Sci. Tran Dinh Long emphasized that breakthrough solutions to restore and expand soybean cultivation should focus on three key areas: breeding, cultivation practices, and deep processing. Priority should be given to developing soybean varieties with yields exceeding 3 tonnes per hectare, protein content above 40%, and oleic acid content above 80%.

In terms of cultivation, two approaches should be promoted. The first is organic farming combined with mechanization. The second is crop rotation and intercropping, including winter soybean cultivation in the Red River Delta and spring-summer soybean production on rice fields in the Mekong Delta.