According to a newly released global rice trade report by the United States Department of Agriculture, Vietnam is projected to become the world’s second largest rice importer in 2026, behind only the Philippines.
The USDA said Vietnam’s rice imports are rising sharply due to expanding trade with Cambodia.
During the first four months of this year, Vietnam imported around 1.5 million tonnes of rice worth approximately USD 613 million.
Despite the rise in imports, rice exports also increased, reaching 3.3 million tonnes with export revenue of USD 1.57 billion. As a result, Vietnam recorded a rice trade surplus of USD 957 million, up 5.6 per cent year on year.
Chau Thi Le, deputy director of the Tay Ninh Department of Industry and Trade, said large volumes of paddy rice from Cambodia are transported into Vietnam through border provinces such as Tay Ninh Province and An Giang Province during harvest seasons.
Most Cambodian rice imported into Vietnam enters through border provinces such as Tay Ninh Province and An Giang Province (Photo: Huan Tran).
According to Le, much of the rice is cultivated by Vietnamese traders who lease farmland in Cambodia and supply seeds and fertilisers before bringing the harvested crop back to Vietnam. For years, imports of rice and paddy from Cambodia have not been fully recorded in official statistics.
However, the Vietnam Food Association said the imports have had little impact on domestic rice consumption.
The association said Vietnam imported around 633,000 tonnes of paddy rice from Cambodia in the first months of this year, most of it consisting of the OM 5451 rice variety.
The variety is now rarely cultivated in Vietnam because of its relatively low market price and weak domestic demand.
After being imported, OM 5451 rice is processed in Vietnam for export markets. Representatives of the Vietnam Food Association described the imports as a positive development that benefits Vietnamese businesses rather than a cause for concern.
Imports from Cambodia are expected to continue rising as lower production costs in the neighbouring country encourage Vietnamese farmers and companies to lease farmland there for cultivation.
According to the USDA forecast, Vietnam will import about 3.9 million tonnes of rice this year (Photo: Huan Tran).
Vietnam has also increased imports of other agricultural commodities, including cashew nuts and seafood, to secure raw materials for export processing industries.
According to the latest report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Vietnam’s agricultural, forestry and fisheries exports in the first four months of 2026 were estimated at more than USD 23 billion, up 5.4 per cent year on year.
Imports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products reached USD 17.65 billion during the same period, marking a 12 per cent increase compared with a year earlier.
