U.S. Corn Sustainability Program Drives Growth in Vietnamese Market

A U.S. corn sustainability program has helped drive a significant increase in U.S. corn exports to Vietnam, giving buyers access to sustainability and traceability information without adding costs to shipments.

The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council launched its Corn Sustainability Assurance Protocol in 2023 to provide international buyers of U.S. corn and corn-derived products with information about sustainability practices used in U.S. corn production.

The protocol outlines state and federal laws that address sustainability practices across 11 impact categories. Exporters can attach a Record of Sustainability to each shipment, providing importers with detailed traceability information about the U.S. corn supply.

The program has become particularly valuable in Vietnam, where feed industry buyers increasingly consider sustainability and traceability along with price when sourcing corn. Because the Record of Sustainability is available at no additional cost to importers or exporters, Vietnamese buyers can incorporate sustainability information into their products without paying a premium.

U.S. corn exports to Vietnam increased sharply after the sustainability protocol became available. During the 2023-24 marketing year, Vietnam imported slightly more than 5,000 metric tons of U.S. corn valued at $1.1 million.

In the 2024-25 marketing year, imports increased to 1.092 million metric tons valued at $256 million. About 1.059 million metric tons, or approximately 97% of the U.S. corn export program to Vietnam, carried a Record of Sustainability.

The Council estimates that sustainable U.S. corn exports to Vietnam reached 1.059 million metric tons in 2025, valued at $251 million. The program has established the sustainability protocol as an industry standard for U.S. corn imports in Vietnam and strengthened the value proposition of U.S. corn for buyers.

The Council reported that the program generated the export growth with a $50,000 investment of Market Access Program and Regional Agricultural Promotion Program funds in fiscal year 2025. The Council estimates the investment generated a return of $5,000 for every $1 of MAP or RAPP funding invested.

Source: U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council, "Council’s Sustainability Program Drives Vietnam’s U.S. Corn Imports from 5,000 MT to Over 1 Million MT"