USSEC connects regional businesses across vegetable oil value chain

From July 7-8 in Ho Chi Minh City, the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) opened the 3rd USSEC Sea Soybean Oil Master Program.

The participation of experts, processors, and vegetable oil supply chain businesses from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, and the U.S. provided insights into soybean supply prospects, vegetable oil market trends, the role of fats in nutrition, sustainable development, traceability, and soybean oil applications in the food and food service industries.

2025 U.S. soybeans export to Viet Nam: $836 million

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Tran My Hanh, USSEC Representative in Viet Nam, said that demand for processed foods and vegetable oils in Southeast Asia is currently growing, creating momentum for businesses to strengthen connections, update technologies, and keep pace with emerging consumer trends.

In recent years, Viet Nam’s soybean oil and vegetable oil industries have made significant progress, with investments in oil extraction, refining, and bottling facilities. These developments have contributed to improving processing capacity and meeting the growing demand of both domestic and export markets. Alongside expansion in production scale and capacity, the industry is also adapting to increasingly stringent requirements on quality, food safety, traceability, and, particularly, sustainable development.

Amid rising international trade standards, environmental commitments, and growing requirements from brands and global supply chains, the adoption of sustainable practices not only helps businesses enhance their competitiveness but also creates a foundation for long-term growth. This is also the reason why USSEC is organizing this workshop.

“We are committed to continuing our partnership with stakeholders across the soybean oil value chain, sharing knowledge, experience, and practical insights to help businesses better prepare for increasingly demanding requirements from both domestic and international markets,” the USSEC representative in Viet Nam said.

Information presented at the workshop showed that Viet Nam is currently one of the major import markets for U.S. soybeans in Southeast Asia. In 2025, U.S. exports of soybeans and soybean meal to Viet Nam reached approximately US$836 million, reflecting stable demand for raw materials serving food processing and animal feed production.

Soybean crop outlook from the Corn Belt

Edward Ebert, Senior Director of Market Development at the Indiana Soybean Alliance, said that soybean and corn planting progress in the U.S. this year is generally in line with the five-year average. In particular, Indiana is expected to have a favorable crop season thanks to supportive weather conditions. However, some areas in the western Corn Belt continue to face drought impacts, while weather fluctuations in South America could affect global vegetable oil supplies.

“For buyers, if weather conditions in the U.S. remain stable and no major disruptions occur, the outlook for this year’s soybean crop is highly positive. However, weather remains a factor that needs to be closely monitored, as it could affect global supply,” Mr. Ebert said.

In addition, Mr. Ebert noted that sustainability is no longer merely a marketing slogan but has become an integral part of how many farms in the U.S. operate.

“U.S. farmers genuinely value sustainable farming practices. This means using inputs only when necessary, avoiding excessive use of fertilizers and chemicals, protecting soil quality, while still ensuring economic efficiency for producers,” he said.

Sharing insights on market trends, Will McNair, Director of Soy Foods, Soy Oil and Global Team Development at USSEC, said that global demand for vegetable oils continues to grow, driven by urbanization, rising incomes, the expansion of processed foods, e-commerce development, and health-conscious consumption trends.

“Urbanization is directly linked to the consumption of protein and vegetable oils. As incomes increase, consumers tend to choose more processed and convenient food products while still seeking nutritional value,” Mr. McNair said.

According to him, Viet Nam is one of the promising markets thanks to positive economic growth, a large working-age population, and an expanding urban consumer class. Consumers are no longer focused solely on price but are increasingly paying attention to cooking oils rich in unsaturated fats and sourced sustainably, creating further growth opportunities for the vegetable oil industry in the coming years.

The technical sessions of the workshop continue to focus on high-oleic soybean oil, sustainable oil extraction technologies, applications in the production of instant noodles, processed foods, and snacks, traceability solutions, as well as market development prospects for soybean oil in Viet Nam and Southeast Asia.