Following three prior championship victories, Vietnam’s ST25 rice under the “Gạo Ông Cua” brand finished second at the World’s Best Rice 2026 competition, behind Myanmar.
On October 9, in Manila, Philippines, Vietnam’s ST25 rice won second place at the “World’s Best Rice 2026” contest. The competition took place during the annual World Rice Conference organized by US-based publication The Rice Trader.
Myanmar captured first place this year. Meanwhile, the host nation Philippines earned third prize, and India and Thailand shared fourth place.
The global competition brought together signature rice cultivars from major agricultural exporters. A panel of international master chefs and food scientists evaluated each entry in both raw grain and cooked form. Specifically, judges scored samples based on grain uniformity, length, aroma, tenderness, and taste profile.
ST25 is the culmination of more than three decades of breeding and research by agricultural engineer “Ho Quang Cua” and his team. He pioneered the renowned ST fragrant rice lineage, including ST24 and ST25, grown predominantly in the Mekong Delta’s sustainable rice-shrimp farming zones.
The commercial brand “Gạo Ông Cua ST25” is produced and managed by the “Ho Quang Tri” Private Enterprise. Representative “Ho Quang Tri” confirmed that the trademark enjoys intellectual property protection across Vietnam, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, and Hong Kong. Consequently, the premium grain sells extensively in international supermarket chains worldwide.
This podium finish extends an impressive international track record for ST25.
In 2019, ST25 secured first place at the World’s Best Rice competition in Manila. Four years later, in 2023, the variety repeated that feat by winning the championship again in the Philippines.
By 2025, ST25 earned top honors once more in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, sharing first place with the host country’s fragrant rice. Earlier, in 2017, predecessor variety ST24 placed among the top three cultivars in Macau.
ST25 rice has consistently secured top honors at the World’s Best Rice competition.
Seven years after its initial Manila victory, ST25’s return confirms Vietnam’s enduring status at the top of the global rice trade.
Maintaining top rankings on the international stage requires strict quality standards across all cultivation stages. Farmers must protect grain integrity during seed selection, field maintenance, harvesting, and post-harvest milling.
Domestically, ST25 farming continues to expand across diverse agricultural zones. Agricultural data indicates the Mekong Delta cultivates roughly 35,000 hectares of ST25, concentrated across Can Tho, An Giang, and Ca Mau provinces.
Acreage continues to grow to satisfy rising domestic consumption and strong export demand from Europe, the United States, and Japan. In addition, farmgate purchase prices for ST25 remain consistently higher than other high-grade commercial paddy varieties.
Source: dantri.com.vn
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Source: Vietnam Insider