US farm trade mission heads to Vietnam with record delegation

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The US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service announced the participants in its upcoming trade mission to Ho Chi Minh City, running from November 9 to 12.

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Alexander Vaden will lead the delegation, the largest ever sent to Vietnam in the service's history, which includes 43 US businesses, 37 agricultural trade and industry organisations, and representatives from the California, Kansas, and Wisconsin state departments of agriculture. The mission will connect American exporters directly with Vietnamese buyers, importers, and distributors.

“Vietnam is already one of our biggest agricultural export markets, and there’s enormous opportunity to expand that footprint,” said Vaden. “This mission brings a diverse group of American businesses and industry leaders face-to-face with willing buyers, developing the lasting commercial partnerships that benefit America’s hardworking farmers, ranchers and producers and overseas consumers, while reinforcing a diverse global supply chain.”

Vietnam was the seventh-largest export market for American agricultural and related products in 2025, importing nearly $5.6 billion. US agricultural exports to Vietnam increased by 38 per cent between 2024 and 2025. Strong demand for US cotton, soybeans, and feed ingredients supports Vietnam’s expanding manufacturing and livestock sectors, while rising incomes and growth in food retail and processing are creating new opportunities for American fruit, dairy, meat, and speciality products.

Vietnam’s expanding biofuels market and ethanol blending requirements are also creating new opportunities for US corn growers and ethanol producers, building on recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) trade engagement and bolstering growing demand.

During the mission, participants will take part in business-to-business meetings, market briefings, site visits, and promotional events designed to introduce American products to Vietnamese consumers and strengthen existing commercial relationships.

Representatives from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Kansas Department of Agriculture, and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection will take part, along with the US businesses and agricultural industry organisations.

The Vietnam agribusiness trade mission builds on USDA’s ongoing work to expand agricultural trade throughout Southeast Asia and follows an earlier US trade mission to Vietnam in March.

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