Ho Chi Minh City, once considered one of the country’s ‘dairy cow capitals’, is now witnessing a rapid reduction in its herd. This was confirmed by Deputy Head Le Viet Hai of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Ho Chi Minh City, at a discussion on solutions for restoring the dairy industry, organized today in Hanoi by the Vietnam Animal Husbandry Association in coordination with Agriculture and Environment Newspaper.
According to Deputy Head Le Viet Hai, the city’s dairy herd is projected to fall to just over 37,000 by 2025, a decline of 68.19 percent compared with a decade earlier. The number of farming households has also dropped by more than 72 percent, largely due to high production costs and stagnant fresh milk prices, which have rendered small-scale farming ineffective.
Chairman Nguyen Xuan Duong of the Vietnam Livestock Association noted that between 2010 and 2015, the national dairy herd expanded robustly, growing by 15.4 percent per year, while raw milk output rose by 17.7 percent annually. Since 2020, however, herd growth has slowed to just 0.4 percent per year, with output increasing by only 3.3 percent.
In contrast, imports of raw milk and finished dairy products are rising sharply, by 8 to 12 percent annually, with some years recording increases of up to 20 percent. Mr. Duong warned that neglecting domestic dairy development would be “a mistake that will only be regretted ten years later,” stressing that the proliferation of low-quality products has further undermined competitiveness.
Mr. Luong Anh Dung, Member of the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Large Livestock Association, pointed out that the absence of supportive policies, combined with rising feed costs and stagnant fresh milk purchasing prices, has forced many farmers to cull their herds. With cheap imported powdered milk dominating the market, the average number of milk cows in the nation’s dairy herd shrank to around 330,000 heads, meeting only 40 percent of domestic demand, while the remaining 60 percent must be imported.
Experts argue that urgent measures are needed to rebuild the dairy industry. They recommend establishing a sustainable value chain linking farmers, businesses, and the State. Enterprises should commit to long-term purchasing contracts with transparent pricing, while farmers are encouraged to join cooperatives and adopt advanced techniques. The State, in turn, should enforce minimum quotas for domestic fresh milk in production and expand the School Milk Program using 100 percent fresh domestic milk.
Looking ahead, Vietnam aims to expand its national herd to at least 650,000 cows by 2030, producing 2.6 million tons of fresh milk annually. This target would help reduce reliance on imports while supporting farmers and enterprises in investing in sustainable dairy production.
