Vinh Long province, located in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, is rapidly producing results in its shift to circular, high-tech agriculture. According to the province's agricultural-restructuring report, the area of paddy fields participating in the government's "high-quality, low-emission rice project" expanded, from 2024's 98.4 hectares to 5,088 hectares in 2025, more than a 51-fold expansion. It has simultaneously achieved reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions and improved farmer earnings, and is drawing attention as a model case of Vietnamese agriculture's "qualitative shift."
Results of high-quality, low-emission rice: higher earnings and decarbonization together
The high-quality rice project in Vinh Long province, led by the Phat Tai agricultural cooperative, is an advanced farming model that combines agricultural mechanization—such as three-stage grain separators and cluster seeders—with a digital management system.
| Item | Project-participating farmers | Conventional farming |
|---|---|---|
| Yield | 6.4–6.8 tonnes/ha | 5.5–6.0 tonnes/ha (estimated) |
| Profit increase | A profit increase of VND 4.3–5.6 million/ha | — |
| CO2 emission reduction | 20–22% reduction | Baseline |
| Target area | 5,088 ha (2025) | 98 ha (2024) |
The profit increase of VND 4.3–5.6 million/ha is equivalent to US$164–213. Considering the average farming income of Mekong Delta farmers, this is a scale that effectively leads to an improvement in living standards.
Organic coconut farming: certification for the world's three major markets (US, EU, Japan) obtained for 36,000 ha
Vinh Long province is also Vietnam's largest coconut-producing area, with 120,000 hectares, equal to 65% of the country's coconut farmland. Of this, 36,000 hectares have obtained organic certification for the US, EU and Japanese markets, and the capacity to supply the world's high-quality coconut market is rapidly increasing.
Within the province there are 183 companies manufacturing coconut-related products, handling a variety of processed goods such as coconut juice, coconut oil and coconut cosmetics. Furthermore, coconut palms planted for more than 10 years absorbs 70 to 75 tonnes of CO2 per hectare per year— this capacity has been confirmed, and efforts toward generating future carbon credits have also begun.
Digital agriculture targets for 2030
By 2030, Vinh Long province aims to apply digital technology across 15 to 20% of its farmland— that is the target it has set. The province is advancing the build-out of smart farms (data integration and full traceability), which is expected to enable production management that meets the strict regulations of the EU, Japan, and other markets.
The Vietnamese government's 2026 export target for agricultural, forestry, and fishery products is US$73 to 74 billion, and combined with the fact that Vietnam's overall first-quarter exports reached US$16.69 billion, up 5.9% year on year, Vinh Long province's efforts have become an important pillar directly tied to achieving that target.
Implications for Japanese buyers
Organic coconut from Vinh Long province already has certified products in circulation for the Japanese market. Coconut oil, coconut sugar, and coconut fiber products see strong demand from Japan's health food and beauty industries, making the province a sourcing origin worth watching for agricultural trading firms and importers.
In addition, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports reached US$1.48 billion in the first quarter, up 27% year on year— viewed together with this, the broader trend of quality improvement and stronger export capacity across Vietnamese agriculture is accelerating.
Sources:Vietnam News: Vinh Long Province Restructures Agriculture / Vietnam.vn: Agriculture 2026 Green Growth
