Vietnam exported over 7.1 million tons of rice in the first ten months of this year, earning $4 billion, figures from the Vietnam Food Association show.

This represents year-on-year increases of 17 per cent in volume and 35 per cent in value.

The revenue figure is the highest Vietnam has ever recorded, beating the 2011 record of $3.65 billion.

The average export price for Vietnamese 5 per cent broken rice was $643 per ton as of October 27, the highest price among key rice exporters in the world.

Vietnam is expected to export 7.8-8 million tons of rice this year, earning $4.2-4.5 billion.