VIETNAM's successful transformation from the country fighting food insecurity to agriculture powerhouse was rooted in science, policy, and trust.
The Southeast Asian country's successful transformation was recently shared by Lai Thai Binh, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Philippines, during a forum at the headquarters of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in Laguna.
The forum, the fourth installment of SEARCA's Meet the Diplomat Series, gathered scientists, students, and policymakers to discuss how cross-border cooperation can turn research into rural prosperity.
SEARCA Director Mercedita Sombilla opened the session by tracing Vietnam's turnaround. "Decades ago, Vietnam faced serious food security challenges," she said. "Today it is the world's second-largest coffee exporter, supplying 19 percent of global demand and anchoring rural prosperity for over 2.6 million people."
That shift, Sombilla noted, generated $8.4 billion in coffee exports in 2025 alone. She credited "inclusive policies, such as granting land rights to smallholder farmers," which turned agriculture "into an engine of national economic growth."
Lai said Vietnam's strategy now rests on three pillars: advancing ecological agriculture for climate resilience; promoting modern rural development to bridge the urban-rural divide; and investing in "smart farmers" through digital literacy and training.
"Vietnam's journey is rooted in the teachings of founding president Ho Chi Minh, who believed that a country thrives only if its farmers and agriculture thrive," Lai told the audience.
He pointed to the contract farming scheme as a turning point. The policy helped Vietnam move from a centralized economy to a socialist-oriented market economy by letting farmers manage their own production and distribution. The result: stronger supply chains and higher farmer incomes.
Lai called the Philippines a "primary partner," noting Vietnam remains the country's largest rice supplier. "This cooperation reflects not only market dynamics, but also a high level of mutual trust and understanding between our two countries, especially in times of global disruption and crisis," he said.
That trust is being tested by climate change. To respond, Vietnam is rolling out the 1 Million Hectares of High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice Program in the Mekong Delta. The program aims to secure food supply while cutting methane and other emissions.
During the open forum, Lai pressed for a regional mindset shift: from "production thinking" to "economic thinking." Countries, he said, should focus on developing agricultural products with high export potential to sustain long-term production.
"It is not enough to grow more," he explained. "We must grow smarter, and we must grow for markets that reward quality and sustainability."
Manila and Hanoi will be marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year and the session reflects its mandate under the 12th Five-Year Development Plan: Sustainable Transformation of Agricultural Systems through Innovation in Southeast Asia, or SUSTAIN Southeast Asia.
"Diplomacy opens the door. Science walks us through it," Sombilla said. "Vietnam's experience shows how evidence-based policy, backed by farmer training and ecological planning, can lift millions."
SEARCA's Meet the Diplomat Series will continue to host ambassadors to share foreign policy priorities and opportunities for cooperation in agriculture, with science and diplomacy at the center of the discussion.