As of April 20th, 2026, the national planted area of spring rice reached 2,932.9 thousand hectares, showing a year-on-year decrease of 36.8 thousand hectares. Of which, the Northern localities reached 1,037.5 thousand hectares, falling by 12.9 thousand hectares; the Southern localities harvested 1,486.0 thousand hectares of spring rice, accounting for 78.4% of the cultivated area and equal to 92.2% of the same period last year.
In the first six months of 2026, the global situation remained complex, unpredictable and difficult to forecast, as prolonged armed conflicts in the Middle East continued to escalate, posing threats to global peace and security, while adversely affecting supply chains, energy prices, commodity prices, transport services and global trade.
The Industrial Production Index (IIP) in June was estimated to increase by 3.5% compared to the previous month and by 12.7% year-on-year. Among them, the manufacturing and processing sector increased by 12.6% compared to the same period last year; the water supply, waste and wastewater management and treatment sector increased by 16.6%; electricity production and distribution increased by 8.7%; and the mining sector increased by 8.8%.
Agricultural production in May focused primarily on harvesting spring rice and other crops nationwide, alongside cultivating autumn rice across the southern localities. Pig and poultry farming developed progressively toward farm-based and bio-secure production models.
The index of overall industrial production (IIP) in May is estimated to have increased by 3.3% compared to the previous month and increased by 8.8% compared to the same period last year.
In the 2026 winter-spring rice season, the whole country planted 2,932.2 thousand hectares, a decrease of 37.5 thousand hectares compared to the previous winter-spring season due to localities implementing the conversion of less efficient rice land to other crops or livestock with higher economic value, or to non-agricultural land.
Industrial production in April continued the positive growth trend. The overall industrial production index for the month is estimated to increase by 1.3% compared to the previous month and by 9.9% compared to the same period last year.
As of April 20, 2026, the whole country had sown 2,932.9 thousand hectares of winter-spring rice, a decrease of 36.8 thousand hectares compared to the previous winter-spring crop.
International organizations had either maintained or upwardly revised their 2026 global growth forecasts compared to previous projections. Stronger-than-expected growth in economies such as the United States and the ASEAN region was anticipated to offset declines in Europe and the rest of the world
The global landscape in the first quarter 2026 (Q1 2026) remained complex and unpredictable as escalating armed conflicts in the Middle East threatened international peace and security, triggering volatile energy prices, supply chain disruptions, and mounting inflationary pressures.
