The Vietnam-Hau Giang International Rice Festival 2023 opened in the Mekong Delta’s Hau Giang province on December 12.

In an address online, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said the festival aims to popularize the image of Vietnam, its friendly and hardworking people, and a rice culture that spans thousands of years.

Vietnam is the first country to build a 1 million ha rice project to improve people’s lives and demonstrate its responsibility towards the global community in tackling climate change and building a low-emissions agriculture sector, he said.

The four-day festival features various activities, including exhibition booths introducing rice products, One commune, One product (OCOP) items, and machinery and equipment for rice production.

There is also an exhibition entitled “Vietnam’s Rice Road”, showcasing the journey of Vietnam’s rice cultivation.

Other activities include demonstrations of agricultural machinery and equipment, mechanized seeding technology, a circular agriculture model using straw, and a smart rice cultivation model.

Conferences and workshops on Vietnam’s rice value chain, the global rice situation, and upcoming trends will also be held.

With annual rice exports of 6-8 million tons, Vietnam is among the top three rice exporters in the world, following India and Thailand.

In the first eleven months of the year it exported 7.8 million tons of rice, earning $4.4 billion.

It boasts the highest rice productivity in the world, of 6.07 tons per ha in 2023.