Vietnam willing to open doors to US agricultural products: minister

Vietnam is actively preparing to open its market to U.S. agricultural products such as tangerine, plum, and lemon, Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy said on Wednesday.

Meeting in Hanoi with U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper, Duy stated that through the recent dialogue between Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC), the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) had the opportunity to exchange information with U.S. businesses and gain a better understanding of the cooperation needs between the two sides.

"With a strong foundation of cooperation, bilateral agricultural trade is no longer a significant obstacle. The most important thing is that the agricultural products of both countries complement each other and do not compete.

"Therefore, we are very willing to open our doors to U.S. agricultural products. This will benefit both countries," the minister said.

Duy added that Vietnam is making efforts to implement commitments to promote the export of U.S. goods to Vietnam. The imports of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products from the U.S. were valued at $2.76 billion in 2024, up 25% from $2.2 billion in 2023.

According to the minister, his ministry has approved 60 out of 61 genetically modified food dossiers, mainly corn and soybeans used for animal feed. In 2024, Vietnam imported nearly $1.5 billion worth of corn, soybeans, and animal feed ingredients from the U.S.

The ministry has drafted import conditions for U.S. citrus fruits, which are expected to be completed this month, paving the way for U.S. tangerine imports in the upcoming harvest, Duy said.

For plum and lemon, Vietnam is allocating additional resources to simultaneously approve both products, with a draft Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) report to be sent in April and May 2025, he added.

For his part, Ambassador Marc Knapper stated that balancing agricultural trade between the two countries is a priority for President Donald Trump, expressing that his country hopes Vietnam will open its market to allow fairer competition in Vietnam’s developing market.