In Phu Cuong district (formerly Tam Nong district), Dong Thap Province, in southern Vietnam, a "no-footprint rice field" (canh dong khong dau chan) that operates 120 hectares of saline, acidic soil through full mechanization and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) is drawing nationwide attention as a standard-bearer for the 2026 low-emission rice program. From tilling to sowing, fertilizing, pesticide spraying, and harvesting, no human sets foot in the paddy, and annual total revenue reaches VND 6 billion (about 35.29 million yen, converted at 170 VND = 1 JPY). The operator is Nguyen Van Khanh, and this has become a symbolic case of the government-promoted "Mekong Delta 1 million hectare high-quality, low-emission rice plan."
News details
Khanh inherited 10 hectares from his parents in 2008, leased 70 hectares from relatives, and in 2012 purchased an adjacent 40 hectares, expanding to 120 hectares in total. On land so saline and acidic that it was once said "no one wants to farm it," he shifted his variety strategy early on—from trial cultivation of Japanese rice (2012–2016), to a seed-rice production contract with the Loc Troi Group, to his current contract cultivation of Thai fragrant rice No. 8 (KDM8) with Vinarice.
Total annual revenue in 2025 exceeded VND 6 billion. The profit reaches VND 35–43 million per hectare, and he has cut the unit cost of rice by VND 100–200 per kg compared with conventional methods. He employs a workforce of 40 and also carries out local charitable activities on the order of VND 50–100 million every year. From 2026 he will formally join the government's low-emission rice plan, aiming for a full switch to organic, low-emission cultivation and for certification for the EU and US markets.
Background: why "no footprint" is needed
Dong Thap Province sits in the western Mekong Delta, a difficult area struck alternately by flooding in the rainy season and saltwater intrusion in the dry season. The highly acidic "phen soil" (dat phen) has traditionally been more than small farmers could handle and has been a breeding ground for abandoned land. Khanh combined land consolidation with mechanization and secured profitability by eliminating dependence on manual labor. Full mechanization plus drones meets not only work-safety needs but also the low-emission rice program's requirements of suppressing methane generation, improving water-resource efficiency, and reducing greenhouse gases.
The government's "Mekong Delta 1 million hectare high-quality, low-emission rice plan" is advancing precision agriculture nationwide with 4,000 drones in operation and AI disease detection at 93% accuracy, and Khanh's initiative is precisely a demonstration model for it.
The Dong Thap / Khanh model in numbers
| Item | Figure | Yen conversion (170 VND = 1 JPY) |
|---|---|---|
| Cultivated area | 120 hectares | — |
| 2025 total revenue | Over VND 6 billion | About 35.29 million yen |
| Profit per ha | VND 35–43 million | About 206,000–253,000 yen |
| Unit-cost reduction | VND 100–200/kg | About 0.59–1.18 yen/kg |
| Local employment | 40 people | — |
| Charitable spending | VND 50–100 million per year | About 290,000–590,000 yen |
| Main variety | Thai fragrant rice No. 8 (KDM8) | — |
| Partner | Vinarice | — |
Industry and local reaction
An official of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) praised the model, saying, "Khanh's model is a valuable achievement that, within the 1 million hectare plan, demonstrated the simultaneous realization of mechanization and low-emission cultivation in an acidic-soil zone." The Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee also positions the expansion of the low-emission rice model as "a province-wide strategy" and has set out a policy of strengthening support for seed rice, fertilization, and MRV (measurement, reporting, and verification).
Vinarice's management commented on the fragrant rice Khanh produces that "it is stable in both contract volume and quality and will be a pillar for establishing a direct-sales route to the EU market." The local Loc Troi Group has announced a plan to "develop five similar 100-ha-class farmers through its seed-rice business and turn Dong Thap Province into a showcase for low-emission rice." Meanwhile, the World Bank has stated that it will "purchase carbon credits for Mekong Delta low-emission rice at US$10 per tonne," bringing additional income on the order of US$100 per hectare per year into view.
Practical information for Japanese agriculture stakeholders and importers
For Japanese food manufacturers and trading houses, Dong Thap's low-emission rice is of high interest on two counts. First, with the first export of certified low-emission rice to Japan realized at a scale of 500 tonnes, it becomes a raw-material candidate for products that appeal to SDG compliance and sustainable sourcing. Second, through Vinarice and similar contract-farmer networks, customized sourcing tailored to Japanese specifications (grain size, moisture content, residual-pesticide standards) with traceability secured is becoming possible.
For food service, convenience-store OEM, and frozen-cooked-rice makers, using fragrant rice KDM8 and Japanese rice differently by application, and turning low-GHG rice into a CSR story, become realistic options. Note that while inspection systems for pesticide residues, cadmium, and the like are being developed by the provincial People's Committee and contracting companies, it is advisable to continue obtaining a certificate of analysis (CoA) for each of your own lots at the time of import.
Ripple effects on the industry
If the "no-footprint" model spreads across the province, the Mekong Delta's labor-intensive rice farming will change drastically. Full mechanization becomes a solution to farm abandonment and aging, and drone spraying can cut pesticide applications by up to 2–3 times per crop. Furthermore, combining rice-straw treatment with the decomposition management of rice stubble is estimated to reduce methane generation by 3–4 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per hectare, equivalent to an offset of 360–480 tonnes of CO2 per year for Khanh's 120 ha alone.
If the carbon-credit market goes into full operation, such farmers will shift in standing from "rice producers" to "owners of climate assets." The World Bank's purchase price of US$10/tonne is only an initial level, and if EU CBAM compliance and Japanese J-Credit purchase demand are added, the pillar of earnings could shift from unit price to credits.
Practical information summary
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Phu Cuong district, Dong Thap Province |
| Area | 120 ha (saline, acidic soil) |
| Main variety | Thai fragrant rice No. 8 (KDM8) |
| Contract partner | Vinarice |
| Mechanization level | Full mechanization from tilling to harvest, plus drone spraying |
| Low-emission rice plan participation | Formally joining in 2026 |
| Carbon credits | World Bank purchases at US$10/tonne |
| Exports to Japan | 500 tonnes of certified low-emission rice (early 2026) |
Summary
Dong Thap Province's "no-footprint rice field" is a rare case that solved the triple challenge of saline, acidic soil x low-emission rice x carbon credits through land consolidation and full mechanization. With value as a climate asset layered on top of its appeal as an export rice, the Mekong Delta's rice economy is breaking free of unit-price competition. For Japanese importers and OEM makers, such advanced farmers are worth watching continuously as candidate partners for co-designing a sustainability story alongside raw-material sourcing.
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