Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan has had a meeting in Hanoi with Luke Lindberg, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), where both sides agreed that agriculture is a key pillar of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and highlighted the complementary nature of the two agricultural sectors.
Vietnam has strengths in tropical farm produce, seafood and wooden products, while the US is a major supplier of key inputs such as soybeans, corn, wheat and dairy products. This trade structure creates a balanced supply chain with little direct competition, delivering tangible benefits to businesses and consumers in both countries.
Lindberg stressed that Vietnam is a strategic market attracting growing interest from the US business community. The USDA's plan to organise two large-scale agricultural trade missions to Vietnam this year underscores the vast cooperation potential and strong growth prospects of the Vietnamese market.
Notably, US agricultural exports to Vietnam surged by a record 45% in 2025, with major commodities posting sharp increases – corn up about 60%, soybeans more than 40%, and cotton nearly 30% - indicating the country’s emergence as one of the most dynamic markets for US farm products.
Regarding new cooperation directions, Tan said Vietnam is accelerating the nationwide rollout of E10 RON95 biofuel and moving toward E15 and E20 blends, which will generate significant demand for ethanol, corn and cassava.
The US side expressed strong interest and readiness to support Vietnam in ensuring energy security, particularly in ethanol production and supply, while expanding agricultural cooperation linked to the green energy transition.
Both sides agreed to maintain close technical-level exchanges, address bottlenecks and prepare for major cooperation activities in the near future. The meeting affirmed the positive momentum in bilateral cooperation, positioning agriculture as a strategic growth driver for deeper, more sustainable and effective Vietnam–US relations in the coming period./.
