Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long: Food Safety Is a Key Factor in Building a Healthy Vietnam
On the morning of December 25th, a conference was held at the Government Headquarters to review Coordination Program No. 01 between the Government and the Vietnam Farmers’ Union (VNFU) and the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) on “Communication and advocacy for the production and trading of quality, safe agricultural products for community health and sustainable development in the 2021–2025 period”
Overview of the Conference
The Conference was co-chaired by Mr. Le Thanh Long, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Central Intersectoral Steering Committee on Food Safety; Mr. Luong Quoc Doan, Member of the Party Central Committee, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers' Union (VNFU); and Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyen, Member of the Party Central Committee, Vice Chairwoman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women's Union (VWU).
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, during the 2021–2025 period, the Program was effectively implemented by the VNFU and the VWU with the participation of 100 % provinces and cities; FUs and WUs at provincial level, strong support from local authorities, and active engagement from Farmers’ Union (FU) members and Women’s Union (WU) members. The coordination program has reaffirmed the role and standing of the VNFU at all levels in communication, advocacy, and guidance for farmers in producing and trading safe agricultural products. With their extensive grassroots networks, the VNFU at all levels have served as an effective bridge, bringing the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws closer to the people.
As a result, FU members and WU members have been equipped with knowledge of clean production processes, the application of science and technology, proper use of agricultural inputs, and business and marketing skills for product consumption, helping shift production thinking from small-scale practices toward commodity-oriented, high-quality production. At the same time, the coordination program has contributed to the development and replication of numerous models of safe agricultural production, high-tech farming, and organic agriculture.
After five years of robust implementation, Coordination Program No. 01 between the Government and the VNFU and the VWU has generated a strong wave of awareness-raising. More than 18 million FU members and WU members have been reached with the spirit of producing and trading quality, safe agricultural products, making an important contribution to the protection of public health.
Through close coordination between the Ministry and the two Unions, more than 300,000 training courses and knowledge-sharing sessions on food safety were organized, attracting over 18 million participants.
In addition, more than 28,000 conferences, seminars, and direct dialogue sessions attracted nearly four million participants, fostering a strong movement toward clean production within the community. Communication efforts were further strengthened through the distribution of nearly one million sets of materials and the publication of nearly 8,000 news articles and reports, generating a broad ripple effect across society.
Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long delivers concluding remarks at the Conference reviewing Coordination Program No. 01 between the Government and the Vietnam Farmers’ Union and the Vietnam Women’s Union.
These results have led to 80 percent of FU member households and more than 53,000 WU member households signing commitments to strictly comply with regulations on the production and trading of safe food.
As a result, awareness among producers and consumers of food safety has improved markedly, contributing to better health protection and quality of life for the public.
Notably, the program supported the registration of trademarks and brand development for 7,106 agricultural products, while helping 8,447 products obtain OCOP certification rated 3 stars or higher. The role of the VNFU at all levels was further underscored through advisory services and support for the establishment of more than 4,000 new agricultural cooperatives and nearly 29,000 cooperative groups, forming sustainable value chains from production to consumption.
Assessing the vision for the coming period, Mr. Tran Thanh Nam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, proposed that the Government direct ministries and agencies to promptly the legal framework, with a focus on drafting a new Food Law and relevant guiding decrees to establish a strict and effective management mechanism.
At the same time, he called for the development of a new food safety strategy for the 2026–2030 period, with a vision to 2045, to enhance the role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the VNFU at all levels in policy advocacy.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment proposed that the Government continue to approve the development of an overarching coordination program for the 2026–2030 period, aligned with the policy of protecting public health and the national target programs on new rural development and sustainable poverty reduction.
Reporting at the Conference, Mr. Luong Quoc Doan, VNFU Chairman, said that in recent years, VNFU at all levels have played a core role in communication, advocacy, and support for FU members and farmers. Efforts have focused on strengthening information dissemination, training, and capacity-building to raise awareness and knowledge, encouraging farmers to participate in ensuring food safety, while organizing advisory, guidance, and support activities for members, professional Farmers’ Union branches, agricultural cooperatives and cooperative groups in applying food safety practices.
Mr. Luong Quoc Doan, VNFU Chairman, chaired the discussion session, during which delegates shared experiences at the conference reviewing Coordination Program No. 01.
Advisory, guidance, and support activities have been provided to FU members, farmers, professional branches, agricultural cooperatives and cooperative groups to gradually promote digital transformation in production and business associated with food safety. At the same time, the role and responsibility of the VNFU in inspection and supervision in the field of food safety have been strengthened, with a focus on promoting farmers’ movements to detect, report, and denounce violations; enhancing internal food safety supervision; building and replicating community-based monitoring models; prioritizing supervision of small households and facilities while coordinating inspections of large-scale establishments; monitoring the use and trading of agricultural inputs; and preventing and recommending strict action against the use of banned substances, the abuse of antibiotics, and the use of chemicals of unclear origin in the production and processing of agricultural products.
As a result, awareness has been raised and production and business practices have changed, helping bring the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws on food safety into the daily lives of FU members and farmers.
In his concluding remarks at the Conference, on behalf of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long acknowledged the outstanding efforts of agencies at central level, including the VNFU, VWU, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, as well as local authorities.
He highly commended the VNFU and the VWU for their coordinated direction and implementation of Coordination Program No. 01, with activities rolled out simultaneously across many local authorities.
As a result, the Program has achieved broad coverage, reaching individual residential areas and households. Its activities have also been diverse, ranging from communication and commitment campaigns to model development and technical training.
Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long emphasized that food safety is a key factor in building a healthy Vietnam. He stressed that in the coming period, greater focus is needed on digital transformation, stricter control of storage and transportation, and the socialization of resources for monitoring and supervision.
Regarding coordination efforts, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that they should not stop at clean production alone, but must place particular emphasis on storage and transportation.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that even if food production is clean, the ultimate goal cannot be achieved if hygiene is not ensured during storage and transportation. He stressed that upcoming programs need to incorporate more specific technical guidelines for these two critical stages.
Regarding policy mechanisms, the Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to take the lead, in close coordination with the VNFU and the VWU, in proposing and agreeing on the name and content of the coordination program for the new phase. The objective is to complete all necessary procedures so that the program takes effect before January 15, 2026. The Ministry of Health was also tasked with urgently finalizing documents to replace Decree No. 15 and related technical standards, removing bottlenecks in product conformity requirements and facilitating the development of food safety data.
Regarding the role of local authorities, the Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that the People’s Committees of provinces and cities are the most critical actors. He called on local authorities to continue closely directing, urging, and strengthening inspection and supervision of activities related to the production and business of safe agricultural products.
He emphasized the need to further promote the socialization of food safety efforts, mobilizing resources from producers themselves and the community to jointly safeguard public health.