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Origin · Country profile

Vietnam

The second-largest coffee producer and the largest grower of robusta, concentrated on the basalt plateaus of the Central Highlands, picked from late October to January and irrigated mostly from groundwater.

Across the chain: History

Source-checkedby Coffearium verification pass· Last source-checked 2 Nov 2026· Prepared with AI assistance· 28 sources (26 tier A)· 2 contested· Updated 2 Nov 2026· Literature last searched 2 Nov 2026
Reading depth
Contents
  • Vietnam was the second-largest producer in 2025/26, with 31.7 of the world’s 178.8 million 60-kg bags, by the count of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).1
  • In USDA’s 2025/26 figures, 30.5 million bags were robusta and 1.2 million arabica; Vietnam grew 36.1% of the world’s robusta (our calculation).1
  • The Central Highlands held 92% of the coffee area and grew 90% of the crop, according to a 2025 USDA report.5
  • Growers often pick robusta from late October to January; the dry season runs from January to April, when farms irrigate, mainly from groundwater.6,9
  • The Buôn Ma Thuột geographical indication for robusta was registered by Decision 896/QĐ-SHTT of 14 October 2005, according to the 2010 provincial regulation.20

Snapshot#

Vietnam is the second-largest coffee producer, after Brazil. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) puts its 2025/26 crop at 31.7 million bags of 60 kg.1 That is 17.7% of the world total of 178.8 million bags (our calculation).1 For 2026/27, USDA forecasts a record 32.5 million bags, from a larger area and higher yields.1

In the statistics of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Vietnam was also second in 2024, with 2,015,289 t of green coffee.3 That is 18.1% of the 78 countries’ total (our calculation).3 Coffee production by country gives 17.9%, measured against FAO’s world total.

Vietnam grows almost only robusta (C. canephora). USDA counts 30.5 million bags of robusta and 1.2 million of arabica (C. arabica) for 2025/26.1 Arabica is 3.8% of the crop (our calculation).1 Vietnam grew 36.1% of the world’s robusta that year (our calculation).1

Where coffee grows#

Most Vietnamese coffee grows in the Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên).5 A 2025 USDA report names five provinces there: Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Dak Nong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum.5 Together they held 92% of the coffee area and grew 90% of the crop.5 A 2020 study puts the share of four of them in Vietnam’s coffee exports at about 90%.9

Relief map of Vietnam with layers for coffee area by province, the geographical indications for coffee, the research institute WASI and places in the history of coffeeSơn LaKhe SanhLâm ĐồngCHINALAOSCAMBODIAĐắk LắkLâm ĐồngĐắk NôngGia LaiKon TumSơn LaĐiện BiênQuảng TrịHanoiHo Chi Minh CityDa NangBuôn Ma ThuộtĐà LạtPleikuWASI123
darker = higher; contours every 250 m, bold every 500 mdashed: province borders before 2025No national coffee altitude band is sourced, so none is drawn.Relief: AWS Terrain Tiles; borders and towns: Natural Earth; provinces and districts: geoBoundaries
Interactive relief map of Vietnam. Layers: approximate coffee area by province in 2016/17 (USDA estimate), drawn in the borders before the 2025 mergers, with the province each became part of on 1 July 2025; geographical indications; the research institute WASI; and places in coffee history.6,22,20,18,16,19,7,28

Provinces before and after 2025. Vietnam merged many provinces with effect from 1 July 2025.22 Đắk Lắk now includes Phú Yên, and Lâm Đồng includes Đắk Nông and Bình Thuận.22 Gia Lai includes Bình Định, Kon Tum became part of Quảng Ngãi, and Quảng Bình part of Quảng Trị.22 Sơn La and Điện Biên were not changed.22 This entry names provinces as each source names them and says which year applies.

Robusta and arabica. A 2017 USDA estimate gives Dak Lak about 190,000 ha of coffee in 2016/17, Lam Dong 162,000 ha and Dak Nong 135,000 ha.6 Smaller areas lay in Gia Lai, Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc, Ba Ria – Vung Tau and Kontum.6 Arabica is grown in the north-west and around Khe Sanh, in Quảng Trị.17,19 Sơn La has about 17,000 ha of coffee, the most in the north, says a 2023 ministry page (year of data not stated).18 Around Khe Sanh, arabica is mostly Catimor, according to the trade ministry.19

0 m500 m1,000 m1,500 m2,000 mBuôn Ma Thuột indication area 21 Buôn Ma Thuột indication: robusta land at 400–800 m (2010) 20 CambodiaĐắk NôngĐắk LắkLâm ĐồngNinh ThuậnBuôn Ma Thuột (WASI) 16 Đà Lạt0 km50 km100 km150 km200 km250 km300 km350 kmCambodian lowlands to the coast near Phan Rang, bent at Buôn Ma Thuột and Đà Lạt; vertical scale about 60×.Terrain: AWS Terrain Tiles, 0.15° means; borders: Natural Earth, geoBoundaries (provinces before 2025).
Section across the southern Central Highlands, from the Cambodian lowlands through Buôn Ma Thuột and Đà Lạt to the coast. Shaded: the 400–800 m band of the Buôn Ma Thuột geographical indication (2010 regulation). The bracket marks where the line crosses the ten district-level units of the indication’s 2021 regulation. WASI is in Buôn Ma Thuột.20,21,16

Altitude. The Buôn Ma Thuột indication covered robusta land at 400–800 m in its 2010 regulation.20 World Coffee Research gives 500–800 m as the best altitude for the clone TR9.15 A 2023 trade ministry news page describes Sơn La arabica as grown above 1,000 m.19 A 2023 study ran arabica trials in the north-west from 600 to 1,100 m.17 No source consulted gives a measured national altitude band.

Climate and harvest#

Growers often pick robusta from late October to January, according to a 2017 USDA report.6 USDA’s marketing year for Vietnam runs from October to September.1 Harvest calendars compares Vietnam with other origins. No source consulted gives the harvest months for arabica.

Dry season and irrigation. In the Central Highlands, the dry season lasts from January to April, and the rainy season from May to October.9 Rain supplies only 25% of the crop’s water demand in the dry months, so robusta needs irrigation.10 Groundwater is the main source.9 The water comes mainly from open wells dug on farms or from nearby lakes, depending on the province.9 Irrigation describes the methods and amounts.

Drought and rain. In Dak Lak, the years 2015–2017 were especially dry, according to a 2020 study.9 Rain can also harm the harvest. In 2016, late rain from October to December slowed picking and drying and damaged the beans, according to USDA.6

Farms and people#

A 2008 study used data from smallholder coffee farms in the Central Highlands to examine how they responded to a fall in prices.8 A ten-year study followed 558 farms in 18 districts of four provinces.9 No official count of coffee households or farm sizes was consulted for this entry (see Open questions).

Area and yield. USDA’s post in Hanoi estimated the coffee area in 2024 at about 730,000 ha, of which 92% was harvested.5 FAO gives an average yield of 2,970 kg/ha for 2024.4 That is the highest among the ten largest producers (our calculation), as Coffee yields shows.4

Inputs. A 2021 study of Lâm Đồng states, in its description of the province, that about 72% of coffee households irrigate twice the standard requirement.11

Varieties#

The Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute (WASI) breeds robusta in Vietnam.14 The institute has selected coffee since 1976 and was formerly the Coffee Research Institute.14 By 2017, the agriculture ministry (MARD) had recognised 11 of its robusta varieties.14 Three clones, TR4, TR9 and TR11, are largely used in the Central Highlands.14

The mother tree of TR9 came from a farm in Daklak province.15 A 2025 genetic study found that all Vietnamese robusta it tested traces back to the Congo Basin group of C. canephora.16 Coffea canephora describes the species.

Arabica. At the Khe Sanh state farm, Catimor was selected after variety trials begun in 1978. The trade ministry puts its area at 4,421 ha and calls it the variety behind the Khe Sanh brand (year and area covered not stated).19

Processing#

No source consulted gives the shares of natural, washed or honey processing in the Vietnamese crop. In 2016, late rain slowed both picking and drying, according to USDA.6 Natural process describes drying in the whole fruit.

The national standard TCVN 4193:2014 sets quality requirements for green coffee of both species.25 Green coffee grading describes it.

Specialty. The agriculture ministry drew up a specialty coffee programme in 2021, according to USDA.5 No source consulted measures the share of fine or specialty robusta.

History#

Legend and evidence. A 2004 World Bank study states that coffee was first planted in Vietnam in 1857.7 It names no place and cites no evidence. A 2025 genetic study, citing the International Coffee Organization (ICO), dates the arrival of robusta to the 1900s.16 Citing older literature, it says robusta reached South-East Asia around 1900 via the Java Coffee Research Station in Indonesia; it does not say that Vietnam’s first robusta came by this route.16 Accounts that missionaries brought the first plants were not supported by any source consulted.

French plantations. At Khe Sanh, coffee arrived early in the 20th century, in plantations run by the French, according to the trade ministry.19 The planted area stayed at a few thousand hectares until the 1970s.7

Đổi Mới and the expansion. In 1986, the Đổi Mới policy allowed a private sector in agriculture.7 Frosts and a drought in Brazil, which raised prices, added to the incentive.7 Most of the growth, from about 40,000 to about 600,000 ha, came between the late 1980s and the late 1990s, according to the 2004 study.7 In FAO statistics, production rose from 92,000 t in 1990 to 802,500 t in 2000.2

Migration and the highlands. The government encouraged ethnic Vietnamese (Kinh) to move into New Economic Zones in the western Central Highlands.7 Later, spontaneous migration overtook the planned moves.7 For some ethnic minority groups, coffee offered an alternative to slash-and-burn farming. Falling prices later caused tension between minorities and ethnic Vietnamese, the study reports.7 A 2008 study describes this as a coffee boom followed by a bust.8 Coffee price history covers the price fall after 1989.

Trade and institutions#

Exports. USDA counts 28.5 million bags of exports in 2025/26.1 Of these, 25.1 million were green coffee, 2.7 million soluble coffee and 0.7 million roasted coffee, in green bean equivalent.1 USDA’s post reported in 2025 that 41% of Vietnam’s coffee exports go to the European Union.5

Prices and ports. USDA quotes Vietnamese robusta export prices free on board (FOB) Ho Chi Minh City.6 No official source consulted gives exports by port. How robusta is priced on the London futures market is covered in Coffee futures. From the May 2027 contract, Vietnamese washed arabica is also deliverable on New York, at 6 US cents per lb under par.26 Differentials explains the discount.

Coffee at home. Vietnamese drank 4.9 million bags in 2025/26, by USDA’s estimate: 15.5% of the crop (our calculation).1 USDA expects a record 5.0 million bags in 2026/27.1 Coffee consumption by country shows the growth since 2021/22.

Institutions. The agriculture ministry (MARD; since 2025 the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) recognised new varieties and issued irrigation advice.14,9,5 WASI, in Buôn Ma Thuột, is the coffee research institute.16 The Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association (VICOFA) is the trade body.7 In December 2024, the ministry handed over a pilot database of forests and coffee areas in four districts to meet the EU deforestation rules.27 EUDR covers the regulation.

Geographical indications. The Buôn Ma Thuột indication for robusta was registered by the national intellectual property office on 14 October 2005.20 Sơn La coffee received an indication in 2017.18 Details are under Geographical indications.

Production over time#

The FAO series runs from 1961. Production stayed below 10,000 t a year until 1984, then rose to 25,000 t in 1986.2 It reached 100,000 t in 1991 and passed 800,000 t in 2000.2 After a peak of 1,251,000 t in 2007, it fell to 1,055,811 t in 2008. It then grew, with a small dip in 2012, to 2,015,289 t in 2024, the highest value.2 Production in 2024 was about 22 times that of 1990 (our calculation).2

1960196519701975198019851990199520002005201020152020202505001000150020002500Yearthousand t green coffeeVietnam2
Data table
SeriesYearthousand t green coffeeSource
Vietnam19614.12
Vietnam19624.022
Vietnam19634.52
Vietnam19645.52
Vietnam19657.52
Vietnam19666.32
Vietnam196772
Vietnam196862
Vietnam19696.52
Vietnam19707.32
Vietnam19716.52
Vietnam197272
Vietnam19736.62
Vietnam197462
Vietnam19756.82
Vietnam19769.72
Vietnam19775.62
Vietnam19785.42
Vietnam19795.12
Vietnam19808.42
Vietnam19815.32
Vietnam19825.32
Vietnam19835.72
Vietnam19844.82
Vietnam198512.32
Vietnam1986252
Vietnam198727.52
Vietnam1988422
Vietnam198940.92
Vietnam1990922
Vietnam19911002
Vietnam1992119.22
Vietnam1993136.12
Vietnam19941802
Vietnam19952182
Vietnam1996320.12
Vietnam1997420.52
Vietnam1998409.32
Vietnam1999553.22
Vietnam2000802.52
Vietnam2001840.62
Vietnam2002699.52
Vietnam2003793.72
Vietnam2004913.82
Vietnam20058312
Vietnam2006985.32
Vietnam200712512
Vietnam20081055.812
Vietnam20091057.542
Vietnam20101105.72
Vietnam20111276.512
Vietnam20121260.462
Vietnam20131326.692
Vietnam20141406.472
Vietnam201514532
Vietnam20161460.82
Vietnam20171542.42
Vietnam20181616.312
Vietnam20191686.772
Vietnam20201763.482
Vietnam20211845.032
Vietnam20221953.992
Vietnam20231956.782
Vietnam20242015.292
Green coffee production of Vietnam, 1961–2024, in thousand tonnes, from FAO statistics by calendar year. The rise after the mid-1980s follows the Đổi Mới reforms of 1986.2,7
Year t Year t Year t Year t
1961 4,1002 1977 5,6002 1993 136,1002 2009 1,057,539.62
1962 4,0202 1978 5,4002 1994 180,0002 2010 1,105,7002
1963 4,5002 1979 5,1002 1995 218,0002 2011 1,276,5062
1964 5,5002 1980 8,4002 1996 320,1002 2012 1,260,4632
1965 7,5002 1981 5,3002 1997 420,5002 2013 1,326,6882
1966 6,3002 1982 5,3002 1998 409,3002 2014 1,406,4692
1967 7,0002 1983 5,7002 1999 553,2002 2015 1,452,999.22
1968 6,0002 1984 4,8002 2000 802,5002 2016 1,460,8002
1969 6,5002 1985 12,3002 2001 840,6002 2017 1,542,397.92
1970 7,3002 1986 25,0002 2002 699,5002 2018 1,616,307.22
1971 6,5002 1987 27,5002 2003 793,7002 2019 1,686,765.12
1972 7,0002 1988 42,0002 2004 913,8002 2020 1,763,4762
1973 6,6002 1989 40,9002 2005 831,0002 2021 1,845,0332
1974 6,0002 1990 92,0002 2006 985,3002 2022 1,953,990.12
1975 6,8002 1991 100,0002 2007 1,251,0002 2023 1,956,782.52
1976 9,7002 1992 119,2002 2008 1,055,8112 2024 2,015,2892

USDA’s recent series. In USDA’s tables, production was 31.58 million bags in 2021/22, 28.3 million in 2022/23, 27.55 million in 2023/24, 29.0 million in 2024/25 and 31.7 million in 2025/26.1 USDA uses a marketing year from October to September; FAO uses calendar years.1,3 The FAO value for 2024 equals about 33.6 million bags (our calculation), more than either USDA year around it (see Contested).3

Coffee by province#

No provincial table of the national statistics office (GSO, since 2025 NSO) could be accessed for this entry. The table below therefore uses one other official dataset: the USDA post’s estimate of coffee area by province for 2016/17.6 USDA compiled it from provincial agriculture departments, the agriculture ministry, exporters and traders, and calls the areas approximate.6 It gives area only, not production.

050000100000150000200000ha (marketing year 2016/17; province names as in the source, before the 2025 mergers)Dak Lak190,0006 Lam Dong162,0006 Dak Nong135,0006 Gia Lai82,5006 Dong Nai21,0006 Binh Phuoc16,0006 Ba Ria – Vung Tau15,0006 Kontum13,5006 Son La12,0006 Quang Tri5,0006 Dien Bien4,5006 Others5,7006
Data table
ha (marketing year 2016/17; province names as in the source, before the 2025 mergers)Source
Dak Lak190,0006
Lam Dong162,0006
Dak Nong135,0006
Gia Lai82,5006
Dong Nai21,0006
Binh Phuoc16,0006
Ba Ria – Vung Tau15,0006
Kontum13,5006
Son La12,0006
Quang Tri5,0006
Dien Bien4,5006
Others5,7006
Approximate coffee area by province in marketing year 2016/17, in hectares, with province names as the source gives them (before the mergers of 2025). Data: USDA post estimate from provincial and ministry data.6
Province (as in source) Area 2016/17 (ha) Share (our calculation) Province since 1 July 2025 Area 2001 (ha), World Bank
Dak Lak 190,0006 28.7% Đắk Lắk22 257,100 (“Dac Lac”)7
Lam Dong 162,0006 24.5% Lâm Đồng22 124,3007
Dak Nong 135,0006 20.4% Lâm Đồng22 –
Gia Lai 82,5006 12.5% Gia Lai22 81,0007
Dong Nai 21,0006 3.2% Đồng Nai22 –
Binh Phuoc 16,0006 2.4% Đồng Nai22 –
Ba Ria – Vung Tau 15,0006 2.3% Ho Chi Minh City22 –
Kontum 13,5006 2.0% Quảng Ngãi22 14,400 (“Kon Tum”)7
Son La 12,0006 1.8% Sơn La (unchanged)22 –
Quang Tri 5,0006 0.8% Quảng Trị22 –
Dien Bien 4,5006 0.7% Điện Biên (unchanged)22 –
Others 5,7006 0.9% – –
Total 662,2006 100% – 566,800 planted, 420,300 in production7

The five Central Highland provinces held 583,000 ha, 88.0% of the total (our calculation).6 In the borders of 2025, Lâm Đồng (with Dak Nong) would hold at least 297,000 ha of that 2016/17 area, 44.9% (our calculation).6,22 The 2001 column is from the 2004 World Bank study, which gives no source for it and lists only four Central Highland provinces.7 The study warns that historical area data are indicative at best.7

Area and yield#

USDA’s post estimated the total coffee area at about 730,000 ha in 2024, with 92% harvested; trees on the rest were too young.5 Its Table 1 estimates 615,000 ha of robusta harvested in 2024/25, at an average of 2.73 t/ha.5 FAO’s national average for 2024 is 2,970 kg/ha.4 FAO’s yield has risen from 2,447 kg/ha in 2015.4

Yields measured on surveyed farms are given in Coffee yields. WASI reports a yield potential of 7.3 t/ha for TR4 in its trials.14

Irrigation and water#

Item Value Source
Dry season, Central Highlands January–April; rainy season May–October Byrareddy et al. 20209
Rain as share of crop demand, dry season 25% Amarasinghe et al. 201510
Main water source Groundwater; water mainly from open wells on farms or nearby lakes, depending on the province Byrareddy et al. 20209
Traditional methods Basin and sprinkler Byrareddy et al. 20209
Over-irrigation, Lâm Đồng ≈72% of households apply twice the standard Tran et al. 202111
Survey farms 558 farms, 18 districts, four provinces Byrareddy et al. 20209

The ministry’s advice, the amounts farms apply and the proposed savings are given in Irrigation. No study consulted for this entry measured how fast coffee irrigation lowers groundwater in the Central Highlands.

Research institute WASI#

WASI, the Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute, is based in Buôn Ma Thuột.16 It has bred coffee since 1976.14

Clone Recognised by MARD Reported traits Source
TR4 2006 Yield potential 7.3 t/ha in trials; 100-bean weight over 18 g Phan 201714
TR9 2011 100-bean weight 22.5 g; best altitude 500–800 m; mother tree from Daklak Phan 201714, WCR15
TR11 2011 Widely planted with TR4 and TR9 Phan 201714
TRS1 2015 Quick seedling supply for replanting Phan 201714
TR14, TR15 Not stated Described as promising under climate change Phan 201714

A 2025 genomic study included WASI’s elite clones TR4 to TR15. All Vietnamese accessions showed Congo Basin ancestry; some hybrid individuals also carried contributions from other genetic groups.16

Geographical indications#

Vietnam’s intellectual property office (Cục Sở hữu trí tuệ) registers geographical indications (chỉ dẫn địa lý).18 The table lists the coffee indications found in the sources consulted. No registration numbers were found in an official source.

Name Product Registered Area as described Source
Buôn Ma Thuột Robusta green coffee (2010); green, roasted, ground and pure soluble robusta (2021 regulation) Decision 896/QĐ-SHTT, 14 Oct 2005 Communes of ten district-level units of Đắk Lắk (2021); land at 400–800 m (2010) Đắk Lắk20,21
Sơn La Green, roasted and ground coffee 2017 Not given in the source consulted MOIT18
Khe Sanh Arabica Not registered as of 2023; being prepared Area around Khe Sanh, Hướng Hóa district, Quảng Trị MOIT19
Lâm Đồng Arabica and robusta: green, roasted and ground Reported by the provincial newspaper; details not confirmed in an official source Not given Báo Lâm Đồng24

The 2010 Buôn Ma Thuột regulation also set a bean size of 10–11 mm long, 6–7 mm wide and 3–4 mm thick.20

European Union. Buôn Ma Thuột is listed in Annex 12-A, Part B, of the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement as GI no. 3, product class “Spices”, description “Coffee beans”.28,23

Climate risk#

A 2020 study of 798 farms in South-East Asia found that robusta yields best below a mean temperature of 20.5 °C, cooler than earlier estimates.12 A 2015 global model finds that the main production regions of Brazil and Vietnam may lose substantial suitable area.13 Citing such models, a 2025 study states that the most suitable croplands of the Central Highlands may shrink by more than 50% by 2050.16 These are model projections, not forecasts by Coffearium.

Water is the second risk. Robusta depends on irrigation in the dry season, and groundwater is the main source.10,9 Dak Lak had especially dry years in 2015–2017.9

Reference values#

Parameter Value Source
Production, USDA 31.7 million 60-kg bags (2025/26); 32.5 million forecast (2026/27) USDA1
Robusta / arabica, USDA 30.5 / 1.2 million bags (2025/26) USDA1
Production, FAO 2,015,289 t (2024; ≈33.6 million bags, our calculation) FAO3
Share of world output 17.7% (2025/26, USDA); 18.1% (2024, FAO); our calculation USDA1, FAO3
Share of world robusta 36.1% (2025/26, our calculation) USDA1
Coffee area ≈730,000 ha, 92% harvested (2024, post estimate) USDA5
Central Highlands 92% of area, 90% of output (2025 report) USDA5
Yield 2,970 kg/ha (2024) FAO4
Harvest, robusta Late October to January (2017 report) USDA6
Marketing year (USDA) October–September USDA1
Dry season January–April Byrareddy et al.9
Altitude, Buôn Ma Thuột indication 400–800 m (2010 regulation) Đắk Lắk20
Altitude, arabica Above 1,000 m in Sơn La (ministry news page); trials at 600–1,100 m in the north-west MOIT19, Sarzynski et al.17
Exports 28.5 million bags: 25.1 green, 2.7 soluble, 0.7 roasted (2025/26) USDA1
Share of exports to the EU 41% (2025 report) USDA5
Domestic consumption 4.9 million bags (2025/26); 5.0 million forecast (2026/27) USDA1
Robusta varieties recognised from WASI 11 (as of 2017) Phan 201714
Buôn Ma Thuột indication Registered by Decision 896/QĐ-SHTT, 14 Oct 2005 (as stated in the 2010 regulation) Đắk Lắk20
First coffee planted 1857 (no place or evidence given) World Bank7
Provinces merged 1 July 2025 National Assembly22

Open questions#

  • Official provincial statistics. The statistics office’s yearbook could not be accessed, so production by province and a recent area by province are missing. The provincial table rests on a 2017 USDA estimate.6
  • Farm structure. No official count of coffee households or farm sizes from the agricultural census was consulted.
  • Processing shares. No source consulted gives the shares of natural, washed, honey or wet-polished coffee.
  • Arabica harvest. No source consulted gives the harvest months for arabica in Sơn La, Quảng Trị or Lâm Đồng.
  • First introduction. The 1857 date rests on one World Bank study without evidence; who brought coffee, and where, is not established.7
  • Indications. Registration numbers, the later Đắk Lắk regulation and the status of Khe Sanh could not be confirmed in official texts.21,19
  • Ports. No official source consulted gives exports by port.

Key studies#

Lewin, Giovannucci and Varangis, 2004 – Coffee markets after the crisis. A World Bank review of the price collapse after 1989. Its Vietnam section traces the expansion from about 40,000 to 600,000 ha after the Đổi Mới reforms, and the migration of ethnic Vietnamese into the Central Highlands.

World Bank, Agriculture and Rural Development Discussion Paper 3 · documents1.worldbank.org

Byrareddy et al., 2020 – Irrigation on 558 robusta farms. Ten years of irrigation and yield records from four Central Highland provinces. Groundwater is the main source; water comes mainly from wells dug on farms or from nearby lakes, and the dry season runs from January to April.

Agricultural Water Management 241, 106350 · doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106350

Kath et al., 2020 – Robusta is not so robust. Combined ten years of yields from 798 farms in South-East Asia with climate data. Yields peaked below a mean of 20.5 °C, much cooler than assumed for robusta.

Global Change Biology 26(6), 3677–3688 · doi:10.1111/gcb.15097

Phan, 2017 – Robusta breeding in Vietnam. Summarises four decades of selection at WASI, with 11 robusta varieties recognised by the ministry. TR4, TR9 and TR11 are largely used in the Central Highlands.

Vietnam Journal of Science, Technology and Engineering 59(4), 37–41 · doi:10.31276/VJSTE.59(4).37

Vi et al., 2025 – Genomic footprints of Vietnamese robusta. Studied the genomes of Vietnamese robusta, including WASI’s elite clones TR4 to TR15. All accessions showed Congo Basin ancestry; some hybrid individuals also carried contributions from other genetic groups.

PLOS One 20(5), e0324988 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0324988

Contested
  • Size of the crop: USDA gives 31.7 million bags for marketing year 2025/26 (October–September)1; FAO gives 2,015,289 t for calendar year 2024, which is 33.6 million bags (our calculation).3
  • When coffee first reached Vietnam: a 2004 World Bank study states that coffee was first planted in 1857, without naming a place or giving evidence7; a 2025 genetic study, citing the International Coffee Organization, dates the introduction of robusta to the 1900s.16 No source consulted names who brought coffee first.
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Sources

  1. AUSDA Foreign Agricultural Service (2026). Coffee: World Markets and Trade (July 2026). United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service.
  2. AFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); processed by Our World in Data (2026). Coffee bean production (FAOSTAT, Crops and livestock products, item Coffee, green). FAO via Our World in Data.
  3. AFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2026). FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products (item “Coffee, green”, element “Production”, 2024). FAO, licence CC BY 4.0.
  4. AFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); processed by Our World in Data (2026). Coffee bean yields; Coffee bean production (FAOSTAT, Crops and livestock products, item Coffee, green). FAO via Our World in Data.
  5. ANguyen, L. (USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Hanoi) (2025). Vietnam: Coffee Annual (VM2025-0018). USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report.
  6. AUSDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Hanoi (2017). Vietnam: Coffee Annual (VM7024). USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report.
  7. ALewin, B.; Giovannucci, D.; Varangis, P. (2004). Coffee Markets: New Paradigms in Global Supply and Demand (Agriculture and Rural Development Discussion Paper 3). World Bank, Washington, DC.
  8. AHa, D. T.; Shively, G. (2008). Coffee Boom, Coffee Bust and Smallholder Response in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Review of Development Economics 12(2), 312–326. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9361.2007.00391.x · other copies
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  14. APhan, V. H. (2017). Research results on robusta coffee breeding in Vietnam. Vietnam Journal of Science, Technology and Engineering 59(4), 37–41. doi:10.31276/VJSTE.59(4).37 · other copies
  15. AWorld Coffee Research TR9. World Coffee Research, Robusta varieties catalogue.
  16. AVi, T.; Le, T. N.; Cubry, P.; Phan, V. H.; Dinh, T. T. O.; Tran, T. B. N.; Nguyen, V. T.; Millet, C. P.; Kambale, J.-L.; Manzan Karine, G. K.; Musoli, P.; Sumirat, U.; Mahinga, J. C.; Stoffelen, P.; Zhang, D.; Marraccini, P.; Vigouroux, Y.; Khong, N. G.; Poncet, V. (2025). Out of Africa: the genomic footprints of Vietnamese Robusta coffee. PLOS One 20(5), e0324988. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0324988 · other copies
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  18. ABộ Công Thương (Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam) (2023). Lễ hội cà phê Sơn La 2023: quảng bá và tôn vinh hạt cà phê Việt. Ministry of Industry and Trade, news page.
  19. ABộ Công Thương (Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam) (2023). Xây dựng chỉ dẫn địa lý và chuỗi giá trị cho cà phê Khe Sanh. Ministry of Industry and Trade, news page.
  20. AỦy ban nhân dân tỉnh Đắk Lắk (People’s Committee of Đắk Lắk province) (2010). Quyết định số 18/2010/QĐ-UBND ngày 30/06/2010 ban hành Quy chế quản lý, sử dụng chỉ dẫn địa lý “Buôn Ma Thuột” đối với sản phẩm cà phê nhân Robusta. Đắk Lắk Provincial People’s Committee; text read on caselaw.vn.
  21. AỦy ban nhân dân tỉnh Đắk Lắk (People’s Committee of Đắk Lắk province) (2021). Quyết định số 31/2021/QĐ-UBND ngày 01/11/2021 về Quy chế quản lý, sử dụng chỉ dẫn địa lý “Buôn Ma Thuột” đối với sản phẩm cà phê Robusta. Đắk Lắk Provincial People’s Committee; text read on caselaw.vn.
  22. AQuốc hội (National Assembly of Vietnam) (2025). Nghị quyết số 202/2025/QH15 của Quốc hội về việc sắp xếp đơn vị hành chính cấp tỉnh. National Assembly; text published by Đại biểu Nhân dân (National Assembly newspaper).
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  25. AMinistry of Science and Technology, Vietnam (proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) (2014). TCVN 4193:2014 Cà phê nhân (Green coffee) – Yêu cầu kỹ thuật. Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality, Vietnam (preview on Thư Viện Pháp Luật).
  26. A(2025). Addition of Vietnam as a Deliverable Origin on the Coffee “C”® Futures Contract. ICE Futures U.S..
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  28. AEuropean Union; Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (2020). EU–Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement, Annex 12-A: List of Geographical Indications. Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam (official English text of the agreement).

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