According to statistics, Vietnam’s rice exports in 2025 reached about 8 million tons, with the Philippines being the largest importer, accounting for 40% of the total rice export volume.
Rice exports in 2025 face many difficulties, including increased competition and policy changes in major importing markets such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Some markets temporarily suspended imports at certain times of the year, which has significantly impacted the volume and value of Vietnam’s rice exports.
Specifically, last year, the Philippines extended its import suspension twice (until December 31, 2025, after a 60-day ban from September 1st) to support farmers during the harvest. The Philippines is a major market for Vietnamese rice. Besides, Indonesia and Malaysia also significantly reduced their import demand.
Vietnam exported about 8 million tons of rice in 2025.
Vietnamese Customs released export figures in December 2025, with rice reaching 522,387 tons, valued at nearly 248.8 million USD. This represents an increase of 39.6% in volume and 30.8% in value compared to November. Vietnam’s rice exports in 2025 reached about 8 million tons, worth 4.1 billion USD. This result is the sharpest decline in many years.
A significant impact on foreign exchange earnings from rice exports is the decline of export rice. Vietnam’s average rice export price in 2025 was nearly 509 USD/ton, compared to an average price of 627.2 USD/ton in 2024. This means that, on average, each ton of rice sold in 2025 will be about 118.2 USD cheaper than in 2024.
The Philippines remained Vietnam’s largest rice importer. In December 2025, Vietnam exported over 198,000 tons to this market, accounting for nearly 38% by volume and 36.6% by value. In 2025, Vietnam’s total rice exports to the Philippines exceed 3.206 million tons, worth over .572 billion.
Vietnam also exported 1,055 million tons to the Ivory Coast, worth over 478 million USD; 919,000 tons to Ghana, with a value of nearly 514 million USD; 747,000 tons to China, with a value of nearly 374 million USD; and 515,000 tons to Malaysia, with a value of nearly 240 million USD.
The four markets mentioned above accounted for 40.2% of the total volume and 39.1% of the total value of rice exports last year. If the Philippines is included, these five markets accounted for 80.2% of the volume and 77.4% of the value of Vietnam’s rice exports.
Rice exports in 2026 are forecast to face many challenges, particularly oversupply pressure, intense competition, and prices that show no signs of recovery.
It’s even more difficult for Vietnamese rice because the import market for about 40% of Vietnam’s rice exports is the Philippines, which just raised its rice import tax from 15% to 20% in early 2026. At the same time, this country can flexibly adjust from 15% to 35% depending on global rice price developments to protect domestic farmers and control inflation. Meanwhile, in some traditional markets, Vietnamese rice continues to face intense price competition.
However, the positive point is the signal of imports from traditional markets such as China, Bangladesh, and Africa. Furthermore, the rice quality is increasingly improved, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnamese rice in the global market.