Vietnam has significantly boosted its feed wheat imports, with a 60% increase in the first eight months of 2026 compared to the same period last year. The surge in purchases was driven by wheat's lower cost relative to other feed ingredients, making it a more attractive option for feed manufacturers facing rising production costs. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), feed wheat accounted for 56% of Vietnam’s total wheat imports during this period.
Overall, Vietnam imported 5.4 million tons of wheat in January, August, a 40% increase year-over-year. Imports of milling wheat, used for flour production, rose by 22%. Argentina was the top supplier of feed wheat, providing 84% of the country’s imports in this category and representing 52% of Vietnam’s total wheat purchases.
Despite the sharp rise in imports, feed wheat purchases slowed toward the end of summer, dropping from 94,000 tons in July to just 21,000 tons in August. Meanwhile, imports of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a corn-based by-product used in compound feed production, totaled 960,000 tons in January, August, down 3% year-on-year.
The USDA forecasts that Vietnam’s total wheat imports could decline to 6.3 million tons in the 2026/27 marketing year, down from an estimated 7.28 million tons in 2025/26. However, demand from the feed and food processing industries will remain a key driver of imports, with future feed wheat shipments depending on its price competitiveness relative to alternative feed ingredients.