After decades of being considered to be among the largest rice exporters in the world without a proper brand name, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has officially a logo for Vietnamese rice brand. Experts said that the branding move will be a turning point to create momentum for Vietnamese rice production and trade.

In 2012, Vietnam surpassed Thailand’s rice export volume to stand in the top ranking globally. However, by 2014 it fell to third place, behind Thailand and India. In 2015, Vietnam not only lost its second place ranking in terms of export volume, but also had a difficult time competing with countries with less advantage like Cambodia in terms of quality. These uncertainties have forced the rice industry to take branding more seriously. Determined to recapture and maintain its position as a rice export powerhouse, in May 2015, the Prime Minister approved a scheme to develop Vietnamese rice branding. By the end of 2018, the ministry had selected an official logo for the national rice brand in Vietnam and was granted an international registration number by the World Intellectual Property Organisation. Of course, branding is not merely a visual logo, but it must be affirmed by quality. In other words, not all rice products can be branded with the national Vietnamese brand. It is still too early to evaluate the changes to this staple industry after gaining a brand identity. However, this is definitely a practical move for the Government in supporting people, businesses, and rice production./.