Vietnam sets new rules for rice export contracts, reporting and trader ratings

New framework takes immediate effect

Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has issued Circular 65/2026/TT-BCT, detailing parts of Government Decree 365/2026/ND-CP on the rice export and import business. According to the ministry, the circular was issued and entered into force on 1 October 2026. It contains five chapters and 18 articles covering centralized contracts, trader reporting and the credibility assessment of rice exporters.

The rules govern the designation of lead traders that negotiate and organize centralized contracts, meaning government-linked arrangements with overseas markets. Where at least two lead traders are designated for one market but only one participates directly in a particular transaction, they will operate under a rotation mechanism. The circular sets procedures for the rotation, the responsibilities of the trader whose turn it is and the treatment of cases in which that trader does not participate.

Contract volumes and allocation rules

Lead traders may directly execute 20% of the rice volume in a centralized contract. The trader that signs the contract receives two-thirds of that 20% share, while the remaining one-third is divided equally among the other designated lead traders. Lead traders must prepare transaction plans, monitor the market, secure rice supplies and help organize contract performance.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade will allocate the remaining contract quotas after receiving transaction results from the lead trader. Provincial authorities will review applications and compile lists of eligible rice exporters. The ministry will then consider those lists alongside available commercial rice supplies and the crop situation before making allocations.

Credibility ratings will influence allocations from 1 January 2028. Traders in the same rating group will receive equal volumes within that group, while allocations will decline between groups. The allocation for the high-rated group may not exceed 50% of the very-high-rated group’s allocation; the same ceiling applies successively to the medium, low and very-low groups. A trader without a rating may receive no more than the average allocation made to participating traders in that round. Until the rating system begins, eligible registered traders will receive equal allocations.

Electronic reports and exporter scoring

Rice exporters and importers must submit reports through the ministry’s electronic reporting system. Exporters must report signed and performed export contracts, as well as stocks of paddy and rice, on a quarterly and annual basis and whenever the ministry requests additional information. If the system suffers a technical failure, traders may send an electronic data file by email but must update the system within the prescribed period after service resumes.

The credibility assessment includes export performance, reporting compliance and circulation reserves. Export business performance carries 100 points: 50 for annual export results and 50 for market development across traditional markets, free-trade-agreement markets and other destinations. Points may be deducted for late, incomplete, inaccurate or incorrectly formatted reports. Reserve scores will reflect the ratio of actual stocks to rice exported during the preceding six months, using an annual average for the final result. The ministry will publish traders’ rating categories on its portal.

Existing lead-trader appointments remain valid until the relevant memoranda, intergovernmental arrangements and associated contracts expire, unless the importing country requests a change. Export contracts already registered and centralized contract volumes already allocated before 1 October 2026 do not require registration or allocation again. Existing detailed HS classifications for exported paddy and rice also remain in use until amended or replaced. Circular 65 replaces Circular 30/2018, Circular 35/2025 and Article 26 of Circular 42/2019.