According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Ba Bong, emissions reduction is no longer an obligation but an opportunity to reposition agricultural products as national brands.
An opportunity to reposition the national brand
For many years, Viet Nam's rice has been positioned primarily on the basis of output and low prices. However, as major markets begin calculating the "carbon footprint" of every rice grain, a new value axis is taking shape. Emissions reduction is no longer an obligation; it has become an opportunity to reposition the national brand.
 |
| Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Ba Bong, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Photo: Bao Thang. |
At the workshop "Promoting Low-Emission Agricultural Product Branding - Toward Green, Low-Emission Agriculture" on March 23, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Ba Bong, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Chairman of the Viet Nam Rice Sector Association (VIETRISA), emphasized that the key does not lie in "green" slogans but in standardizing the entire production process to transform emissions into measurable, verifiable, and tradable value.
"Low-emission Green Vietnamese Rice" is not a communication campaign; it is built directly on standardized cultivation techniques for the Mekong Delta. This process simultaneously impacts many critical stages, including reducing seeding rates, cutting down on chemical fertilizers, managing water through alternate wetting and drying, limiting pesticide use, and eliminating straw burning, all toward a circular economy.
Notably, these changes are not only aimed at reducing emissions but also directly improve production efficiency. Thus, emissions reduction is not an environmental cost to be traded off but a component of economic efficiency.
"The intersection of environmental and economic benefits creates the foundation for a brand," said Mr. Bong. He added that when technical standards are clearly quantified, each rice shipment carries not only sensory quality but also an accompanying "emissions profile." This is increasingly required by importing markets, particularly as carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs) take shape.
A critical step forward is bringing this standard system to market and developing it into a brand. In 2025, Viet Nam certified and exported rice labeled as low-emission for the first time, with more than 70,000 tons labeled and over 18,000 hectares certified. This figure is still modest compared to total output but is of pioneering significance, paving the way for Vietnamese rice to gradually enhance its value.
 |
| The ceremony marking the export of Viet Nam's first shipment of "Low-emission Green Vietnamese Rice" to Japan. Photo: VGP. |
For this attribute to carry commercial value, transparency and verification are prerequisites. Tools such as the compliance assessment system (ViRiCert) have been developed to ensure that every cultivation process can be measured, monitored, and verified. As a result, "green rice" is no longer a subjective concept but a standard that is traceable and comparable in international markets.
However, turning low-emission into a national brand requires not only technical solutions but also scale and consistency, from national standards and certification systems to market mechanisms. More importantly, a brand cannot simply be a label on packaging. It must be a consistently told "national story."
Viet Nam is not only a major rice exporter but also a pioneer in low-emission rice production. When this story is reinforced by data, standards, and sufficient scale, added value will come not from selling more, but from selling differently.
Community-based brand: Lesson from South Korea
Experience from South Korea shows that a brand does not start from the product but from a deliberately developed national strategy. Dr. Jeong Hakkyun of the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) noted that the country's low-emission agriculture is embedded in a comprehensive policy system, from carbon-neutrality targets to specific support programs for farmers. These programs not only set the goal of emissions reduction but also establish an institutional framework to translate those goals into widespread production practices.
Particularly, these policies are accompanied by financial, technological, and monitoring mechanisms. Farmers are paid based on hectares for adopting low-emission techniques, receive support for certification costs, and can even sell carbon credits on the market. When transition costs are reduced and benefits are quantified, emissions reduction is no longer a moral choice but becomes a rational economic decision.
However, policy is only a necessary condition. The sufficient condition lies in how South Korea has transformed these practices into a brand system capable of building trust.
 |
| Mr. Juhern Kim, Country Representative of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in Viet Nam. Photo: Bao Thang. |
Unlike approaches based on individual enterprises, South Korea has developed collective brands for agricultural products. These brands represent entire production regions, with quality standards and certifications managed uniformly.
This mechanism provides a stronger layer of assurance than private brands do. Consumers place their trust not just in a single company, but in the entire system behind it, from government and national standards to control processes. Therefore, the brand becomes “social capital,” connecting producers and consumers through long-term trust.
The case of Cheongwon Saengmyeong rice is evidence. The brand has been built up through multiple layers of value, from early intellectual property registration and organic certifications to the addition of low-emission certification. Each layer not only raises product standards but also enhances “brand equity.” When consumers see the label, they see not only rice quality but also the verification system behind it. This brings higher prices, maintains customer loyalty, and supports market expansion.
More importantly, a brand does not exist in isolation from the supply chain. South Korea organizes production according to contracts, integrating farmers, processors, and distributors into a unified system. The government supports procurement prices, businesses secure output, and farmers comply with standards. This approach addresses the core issue as the entire chain operates synchronously. If standards exist without markets, farmers will not adopt them; if markets exist without control, the brand will lose credibility.
From this perspective, low-emission rice is not merely a new product but the outcome of a three-layer structure, including national policy, a certification system, and an integrated supply chain. These three layers interact to create consumer trust, which is more important than the products themselves.
In the context of Viet Nam, South Korean experts recommend a more systemic approach. Only by standardizing national standards, establishing a credible certification mechanism, and reorganizing the supply chain to ensure fair value distribution can a low-emission rice brand be sustained. At that point, emissions reduction truly becomes a marketable attribute.
Mr. Juhern Kim, Country Representative of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in Viet Nam, noted that GGGI is collaborating with the World Bank (WB) and the Plant Production and Protection Department across four key areas: strengthening capacity and engagement of the private sector, completing policy frameworks, promoting carbon finance, and developing market tools such as certification and labeling for low-emission products. Among these, building brands for low-emission agricultural products, such as the "Viet Green" initiative, is expected to help products achieve higher value in the market.
