Viet Nam's livestock breakthrough: 30-year journey

Editor's note: From a country with an underdeveloped livestock sector and severe food shortages, Viet Nam has today risen to rank among the leading nations in the region, equipped with modern technologies and ensuring national food security. This remarkable transformation has been driven in large part by the impact of science and technology in the livestock and veterinary sectors.

From thousands to millions of tons

Viet Nam’s animal feed industry began to take shape more than 30 years ago with a number of domestic feed production plants. It was also one of the earliest sectors to attract foreign investment. In 1991, Proconco became the first joint venture in the animal feed production sector, established through a partnership between Viet Nam and France’s SCPA Group.

Although newly established, Viet Nam’s animal feed industry expanded rapidly in both scale and output during the 1990s. In 1993, total industrial feed production nationwide was still modest at 68,000 tons, but just three years later it surpassed 1 million tons - an increase of more than 15-fold.

By 2000, industrial feed output exceeded 2 million tons, rising to over 4.5 million tons in 2005. In 2010, production surpassed 10 million tons; it exceeded 20 million tons in 2016 and reached a record high of more than 22 million tons in 2025.

Currently, the country has 270 animal feed plants, of which foreign-invested companies account for 33% and domestic firms 67%. In terms of output, however, foreign-invested companies contribute 65%, while domestic firms account for 35%.

With its current capacity, the animal feed industry not only meets domestic demand but is also boosting exports, making a significant contribution to both the livestock sector and the broader agricultural economy. In 2025, exports of animal feed and feed ingredients exceeded USD 1.4 billion - the highest level on record.

The imprint of technology

It can be said that the early participation of foreign-invested companies (Proconco since 1991, C.P. Viet Nam since 1993, Japfa Comfeed Viet Nam since 1996, etc.) has played a significant role in transforming and driving the rapid development of Viet Nam’s animal feed industry.

When investing in animal feed production plants in Viet Nam, FDI enterprises not only brought in capital and expanded production but also introduced the most advanced science, technology, and management practices of the time. This not only helped establish large-scale, modern feed mills in the country but also created competitive pressure, compelling domestic feed companies to upgrade their technologies and management methods. As a result, Vietnamese firms have maintained around a 35% market share to this day.

Looking back over more than 30 years, the industry has seen three major technological advancements in production. Previously, feed was produced in mash form; today, pellet production lines are standard, along with the use of extrusion technology to process raw materials before use.

Beyond that, many feed manufacturers are accelerating automation and digital transformation in their plants to improve production efficiency, ensure product quality and consistency, enhance data management and traceability, and support sustainable development.

Mr. Clemens Tan, General Director of Japfa Comfeed Viet Nam Co., Ltd., shared: “At Japfa, we are accelerating automation and digital transformation in our animal feed production operations. The company is implementing systems such as SCADA and smart factory solutions to automate production processes, enhance real-time monitoring, and reduce manual operations.

In addition, Japfa is applying technologies such as RFID-based logistics systems and equipment performance management tools, such as OEE, to improve operational efficiency and transparency. In the coming period, we will continue investing in intelligent systems, optimizing processes, and strengthening data-driven management to achieve increasingly efficient and stable operations.”

Reducing livestock costs through optimized formulas

In the past, Vietnam’s livestock industry was considered less competitive than many other countries due to high production costs. However, intensive investment in animal nutrition research to calculate optimized feed formulas has fundamentally changed this landscape.

Prof. Dr. La Van Kinh, Vice President of the Vietnam Animal Feed Association, identifies six pivotal research achievements in animal nutrition that have enabled the calculation of optimized feed formulas within the industry. The primary breakthrough lies in applying Information Technology (IT) to develop "least-cost" formulas that harmonize optimal nutritional value with the lowest possible production costs.

Furthermore, comprehensive analyses of the chemical composition and nutritional value of various raw materials have been conducted to establish a robust database for precision feed formulation.

Prof. Dr. La Van Kinh: "Viet Nam needs to invest in research and application of chemical technology to produce feed ingredients such as DCP, MCP, and organic acids, as well as biotechnology for the production of feed additives like amino acids, enzymes, and probiotics."

Research has focused on determining standardized ileal digestibility coefficients for energy and amino acids, as well as identifying the nutritional requirements of livestock and poultry, from metabolizable energy to net energy and standardized ileal digestible amino acids. Studies have also explored methods for processing, preserving, and utilizing agricultural and industrial by-products.

Notably, advancements in improving gut health in livestock, such as supplementing feed with enzymes, probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids, phytogenics, and herbal additives, have helped replace antibiotics, reduce antibiotic use, minimize antibiotic residues in the environment, and lower the risk of antimicrobial resistance in animals.

Prof. Dr. La Van Kinh noted that the development of optimized feed formulations in Viet Nam’s animal feed industry is continuously being upgraded in line with global scientific advancements.

In the past, feed rations were optimized first by crude protein, then by digestible protein, followed by total amino acids, and later by digestible amino acids. Today, optimized feed formulations are based on standardized ileal digestible amino acids and net energy.

The application of advances in animal nutrition, feed processing and preservation, and feed formulation optimization has enabled livestock to grow faster, produce more, and consume less feed per unit of output. It also helps animals digest feed more efficiently, reducing the amount of waste and urine discharged, thereby lowering environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and moving toward greener livestock production.

In the early 2000s, feed conversion ratios were around 3.5-3.8 kg of feed per 1 kg of weight gain for pigs and 2.5-2.8 kg for industrial broilers. Today, these figures have decreased to 2.5-2.7 kg for pigs and 1.6-1.8 kg for industrial broilers.

From March 27-28, the MAE will host the first National Conference on Livestock and Veterinary Science and Technology, convening leaders from National Assembly agencies, the Government Office, relevant ministries and sectors; management agencies, associations and unions, businesses, and scientists in the livestock and veterinary fields nationwide. The conference will take place at the National Convention Center on Pham Hung Street, Tu Liem Ward, Ha Noi.

VAN News will provide live coverage of this important event.