Vietnam is the world’s fifth-largest rice-producing country. Rice production has continuously increased, from 25 million t in 1995 to almost 40 million t in 2010. This increase can be attributed to some expansion of rice harvested area and higher yield. Rice yield improved to 5.3 t/ha in 2010 from 3.7 t/ha in 1995. The use of input-responsive modern varieties, sufficient fertilizer, and an increase in the proportion of rice area (93.4%) under irrigation account for the high yields in recent years. Although the rice area harvested expanded from 6.8 million ha in 1995 to 7.5 million ha in 2010, annual growth was only 0.5% from 2005 to 2010. 

Vietnam is one of the world’s leading rice exporters. The country’s rice exports reached 5.3 million t in 2005 and almost 6.9 million t in 2010. The decline in exports to an average 4.7 million t during 2006-08 led the head of the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development in 2009 to raise concern about the conversion of agricultural land into commercial land: too much rice land was being converted for housing projects and golf courses. He argued that, if this continued, coupled with fast-increasing population, the country would have difficulty in meeting the demand for rice exports by 2020.