Overview

Vietnam is the largest Robusta exporter and second-largest coffee exporter in the world (Nguyen, 2024).

In the first half of 2025, Vietnam has exported 1.1 million tons of coffee and in total worth US$ 6 billion (MAEVN, 2025).

Robusta production dominates in Vietnam, as Vietnam produces 30 times more Robusta (30 million bags) than Arabica (1 million bags) in 2025.

Vietnam has been the biggest Robusta production in the world after 2000, even though Vietnam has only start large-scale producing in the early 1990s (ICC, 2019).

The production of Arabica beans has not picked up over the year because suitable land for Arabica cultivation is limited and Vietnamese weather favors Robusta (ICC, 2019).

Climate Requirements Comparison for Coffee Cultivation

Robusta desired cultivation conditions are hot weather with high humidity, and Robusta can be grown in highlands and plains. Whereas, Arabica prefers mountains with lower temperatures and less rainfall (Nguyen, 2025; ICC, 2019).

Almost 90% of Vietnam coffee cultivation areas is in the Central Highlands region, which includes Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Dak Nong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces. The region is responsible for the majority of Robusta cultivation (ICC, 2019) and 90% of Vietnam total coffee production (Nguyen, 2025a).

Note: Vietnam has officially implemented changes to administrative boundaries since 1 July 2025. The old official names are used in this slideshow because not all data sources are up-to-date with the new administrative boundaries.

The export value from the first half of 2025, US$6 billion has already exceed 2024 value of US$5.62 billion due to government strategies to focus on specialty coffee and promoting Robusta coffee to new markets and export partners (MAE, 2025).

Central Highlands region in Vietnam has hot and humid climate, wide plateaus of basalt volcanic soil, forests and the region name itself indicating the favourable nature of the region for Robusta coffee bean cultivation (Nguyen, 2025a; ICC, 2019).

With most of coffee growing areas situated in the Central Highlands, Robusta bean type is more suitable option for planting and growing.

With matching crops to climate and appropriate government strategies, Vietnam is having a strong coffee industry and leading the Robusta coffee bean production.

References

International Coffee Council. (2019). Country Coffee Profile: Vietnam. International Coffee Organization. https://ico.org/documents/cy2018-19/icc-124-9e-profile-vietnam.pdf

Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Socialist Republic of Vietnam. (2025, August 27). Vietnam’s coffee exports in 2025: Breaking records, targeting $8 billion. MAE. https://en.mae.gov.vn/vietnams-coffee-exports-in-2025-breaking-records-targeting-8-billion-8985.htm

Nguyen, D. (2024, September 23). Vietnam’s Coffee Industry: A Global Coffee Export Powerhouse. Medium. https://medium.com/@davenguyen95/vietnams-coffee-industry-a-global-coffee-export-powerhouse-d49e5d05e741

Nguyen, L. (2025a). Vietnam Coffee Annual. United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/vietnam-coffee-annual-10

Nguyen, L. (2025b, October 13). When is Coffee Harvested in Vietnam? A Complete Guide to Vietnam Coffee Harvest Season. Hello 5 Coffee Global. https://hello5coffee.com/when-is-coffee-harvested-in-vietnam/

United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service. (2025, June 25). Product, Supply and Distribution Coffee Data Sets. USDA. https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/downloads/psd_coffee_csv.zip

VietnamExportData. (2025, June 17). Vietnam Coffee Export Data 2025: Top Exporters, Trade Partners, & Vietnam Coffee Production. VietnamExportData. https://www.vietnamexportdata.com/blogs/vietnam-coffee-export-data-2025-top-exporters-trade-partners-production-trends