Viet Nam's livestock breakthrough: Dong Nai as a modern livestock hub

Science and technology to elevate livestock sector

Dong Nai has long been considered the cradle of Viet Nam’s industrial livestock production, where large-scale pig farming models were established early on, alongside a strong concentration of breeding companies, animal feed producers, and modern farm systems. Thanks to early access to technological advances and a development strategy focused on industrial-scale livestock production, Dong Nai has gradually affirmed its position as one of the country’s largest livestock hubs.

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In addition to the advantage of large livestock herds, the locality also benefits from a favorable geographical position next to Ho Chi Minh City along with a well-developed logistics system, seaports, and airports. This serves as an important foundation for the formation of large-scale food supply chains.

Mr. Nguyen Tri Cong, Chairman of the Dong Nai Livestock Association, said that the livestock sector today must not only aim for output but also ensure three core factors: food safety, biosecurity, and environmental protection, while promoting deep processing to increase product value and competitiveness.

According to Mr. Cong, Dong Nai’s livestock sector is undergoing a strong shift toward a safe, sustainable, and environmentally friendly development model, prioritizing large-scale farms, high-tech applications, and strict biosecurity standards.

After administrative boundary adjustments and expanded regional linkages, Dong Nai’s livestock scale has continued to grow significantly, ranking among the top in the country with nearly 4.2 million pigs, about 36.5 million poultry, and hundreds of thousands of large livestock. These figures not only reflect output but also demonstrate a clear transition from smallholder farming to large-scale industrial livestock production, creating a foundation for sustainable development, while further affirming its position as the “livestock capital” of the Southeast region.

For the 2026 - 2030 period, the province aims to raise the rate of centralized industrial slaughtering to 90% and increase the processing rate to 30% of total meat output, while continuing to attract investment from enterprises in breeding, animal feed, veterinary services, and deep processing.

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One of the key factors driving breakthroughs in Dong Nai’s livestock sector is the application of science and technology. The province currently has around 2,000 farms, with farm-based production accounting for 92% of the total pig herd and 84% of the total poultry population. Notably, about 35% of all livestock are raised in modern climate-controlled housing systems, integrated with automated technologies such as feeding, watering, temperature, humidity, and ventilation control. This marks a significant step forward in reducing costs, improving productivity, and especially enhancing disease control.

Beyond that, 100% of large-scale farms have invested in waste treatment systems, contributing to reduced environmental pollution and moving toward greener development. The adoption rate of improved breeds has reached 98% for pigs and 90% for poultry. Combined with the widespread application of biosecure farming practices and vaccination programs, this has created a stable and safe production system.

Dong Nai currently has 202 farms and three cooperative groups certified under VietGAHP/GlobalGAP standards, meeting increasingly stringent requirements of both domestic and international markets. The province’s livestock sector has also developed multiple effective production–consumption linkage chains, including six egg production chains with an annual output of over 360 million eggs and ten chicken meat chains producing around 143 thousand tons per year. Notably, export-oriented chicken production chains have met international standards, with typical examples such as Koyu & Unitek and CPV Food, whose products are exported to Japan and other demanding markets.

Synchronized policies for modern livestock development

To achieve these results, Dong Nai has followed a well-structured development path, beginning with the establishment of concentrated livestock production zones in the 1990s - 2000s in districts such as Thong Nhat, Trang Bom, Xuan Loc, and Cam My, laying a crucial foundation for the growth of industrial livestock farming.

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The period from 2000 to 2015 marked a turning point when many major corporations such as C.P, Japfa, CJ, Masan, Hoa Phat, BAF, and Greenfeed invested in Dong Nai, establishing a closed-loop livestock ecosystem covering breeding, feed, farming, slaughtering, and processing. This helped improve productivity, enhance disease control, and gradually build a complete livestock ecosystem.

Since 2016, Dong Nai’s livestock sector has strongly shifted toward high-tech, biosecure, and value chain-linked models, gradually approaching international standards. Currently, about 90% of the province’s pig and poultry herds are raised on farms integrated with production linkage chains. In addition, Dong Nai has 35 pork and processed product chains, supplying approximately 550,000 tons of pork annually, accounting for over 65.5% of the province’s total pork output.

In 2025, the production value of the province’s livestock sector reached around 45,701 billion VND, an increase of nearly 5% compared to the previous year, continuing to serve as a pillar of the local agricultural economy. Beyond its direct contribution to economic growth, the livestock sector provides employment for tens of thousands of rural workers while also promoting the development of related industries such as processing, animal feed production, veterinary services, logistics, and trade.

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Mr. Nguyen Truong Giang, Head of the Dong Nai Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Fisheries, said that by 2030 the province aims to increase its pig herd to around 5 million and poultry to 48 million, with carcass meat output reaching 1.3 million tons and 2 billion eggs per year. The livestock sector still has significant room for growth, especially in the application of science and technology through closed-loop value chains with high added value. At the same time, the province will continue developing integrated chains linking livestock production, slaughtering, processing, and distribution, aiming to position Dong Nai as a safe food supply center for the Southern region.

According to the Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Environment, the province’s status as Viet Nam’s livestock capital is the result of a long development process and a strong transition from smallholder farming to farm-based and industrialized livestock production, along with important breakthroughs in policy, production scale, and investment attraction.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thang, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Environment, affirmed that the application of science and technology is a key factor in ensuring sustainable development and increasing the value of livestock products.

In the coming period, Dong Nai will continue to develop high-tech, large-scale livestock production, strengthen value chain linkages from production to consumption, promote the circular economy in livestock farming, build disease-free zones in line with international standards, and expand export markets.

Dong Nai has also issued various support policies, such as prioritizing land funds for farms, providing breed support, encouraging the application of high technology, and investing in infrastructure for product distribution. With clear strategic direction and a solid foundation, Dong Nai will not only maintain its position as the “livestock capital” but also aims to become a modern, safe livestock production center with international competitiveness.

From March 27 - 28, the MAE will organize the first National Conference on Livestock and Veterinary Science and Technology, with the participation of leaders from agencies of the National Assembly, the Government Office, relevant ministries and sectors; management agencies, associations and unions, businesses, and scientists in the livestock and veterinary sectors nationwide. The conference will take place at the National Convention Center.

VAN News will provide live coverage of this important event.