Vietnam's agricultural exports grow and shift toward data traceability

Vietnam's agricultural, forestry and fishery exports continued to rise in the first five months of 2026, reaching an estimated $30.7 billion, a 9 % increase over the same period last year. In May alone, export value hit about $7 billion, up 4.2 % from the previous month and 13.5 % year‑on‑year. China (over 20 % share), the United States (about 18 %) and Japan (around 7 %) remain the top markets.

Facing new Chinese traceability rules (Order 280) that require proof of production origin, Vietnamese producers are implementing digital record‑keeping and data‑driven supply‑chain standards. Farmers such as Huỳnh Thanh Kiểm in Tây Ninh are logging pesticide use, fertiliser amounts and harvest dates, while cooperatives like Hưng Thịnh Phát ensure consistent documentation across members. The move aims to preserve market access, improve product quality and allow deeper value‑added processing, especially in the seafood sector where targets of $12 billion in annual exports are now seen as challenging without greater processing.

The government and industry stakeholders view data transparency as a new competitive lever, complementing traditional gains in productivity and price.