July 14, 2026
US feed ingredient exports to Vietnam surge in 2025 as corn shipments jump nearly 17-fold
Vietnam's expanding livestock and aquaculture sectors drove sharply higher demand for US soybeans, corn and DDGS, with the country emerging as a top-10 destination for US corn for the first time.
US feed ingredient exports to Vietnam rose sharply in 2025, led by a near-17-fold increase in corn shipments to US$394 million from US$22.7 million in 2024, as Vietnam's growing livestock and aquaculture feed sectors pulled in higher volumes of imported raw materials, according to a USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report. Soybean exports also rose 20% to US$581 million, while DDGS shipments grew 4% to US$272 million.
Vietnam imported 1.1 million tonnes of US corn in the 2024/25 marketing year, up from just 5,000 tonnes in 2023/24, propelling the country into the top 10 destinations for US corn exports. The United States accounted for 49.3% of Vietnam's total soybean imports of US$1.2 billion in 2025, ahead of Brazil at 42.2% and Canada at 7.7%.
FAS Hanoi said Vietnam's soybean crushers have been expanding domestic crushing capacity through new production lines, and predicted that soybean imports will continue to rise to support higher domestic soybean meal output, while imports of soybean meal itself are expected to remain broadly flat in marketing years 2025/26 and 2026/27.
The trade relationship received a further boost in June 2025, when Vietnamese government agencies and US private companies signed memoranda of understanding committing to the purchase of 900,000 metric tonnes of US corn and 250,000 metric tonnes of US DDGS. This followed a broader package of 20 MoUs worth US$3 billion signed by Vietnamese government agencies to procure US agricultural and timber products, aimed at balancing bilateral trade and strengthening supply chains.
The USDA FAS report noted that Vietnam's livestock and aquaculture sectors are dependent on imported feed inputs and experienced strong growth in 2024, underpinning the demand increase. Despite the strong US position in soybeans and corn, the United States remains at a tariff disadvantage relative to competitors in several feed categories, as it is the only major agricultural trading partner without a free trade agreement with Vietnam. Ongoing reciprocal trade negotiations between Washington and Hanoi, announced in October 2025, are aimed at addressing that gap.
- USDA Foreign Agricultural Service