Vietnam’s rice exports rise 5% in early 2026
Vietnam exported 1.3 million tonnes of rice worth $599.3 million in the first two months of 2026, with volumes rising 5% but export value falling due to lower prices. The Philippines remained the top buyer, while shipments to China surged. However, higher freight costs and slow demand are affecting trade.
Vietnam exported about 640,000 tonnes of rice worth $289.4 million in February 2026, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. In total, rice exports in the first two months of the year reached 1.3 million tonnes valued at $599.3 million. Compared with the same period last year, export volumes increased by 5%, while the total value declined by 11.2%.
The average export price for rice in January–February stood at $464.1 per tonne, down 15.4% year on year. The Philippines remained the largest market for Vietnamese rice, accounting for 47.6% of total exports, followed by China with 18.3% and Ghana with 8.9%.
Export value to the Philippines rose by 17.6% compared with the same period last year, while shipments to China surged 5.8 times. In contrast, exports to Ghana fell by 31%. Among the 15 largest markets, the strongest growth was recorded in China, while exports to Côte d’Ivoire dropped the most, falling by 90.9%.
According to exporters, Vietnam’s 5% broken rice is currently priced at around $365 per tonne, unchanged from the previous week. However, trading activity has slowed as buyers expect further price declines amid rising domestic supply during the peak harvest of the winter–spring crop.
Preliminary data show that southern Vietnamese ports handled more than 382,000 tonnes of rice in February, most of which was shipped to the Philippines and African markets. Although the conflict in the Middle East has not directly affected these shipments, traders report a sharp increase in freight costs due to higher insurance premiums and fuel prices.
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