Rising Prices Revive a Key Crop
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After years of falling coffee prices and low yields that drove many farmers to cut down their trees, Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province is seeing a strong return to coffee cultivation. With prices now surpassing 100,000 VND/kg—nearly double last year’s peak—farmers are replanting old, low-yield plots and bringing coffee back to center stage.
By late 2023 the province still had over 3,643 ha of coffee, mainly in Châu Đức District, long known for producing beans prized by buyers. The current price rally has turned coffee into one of the most profitable crops in the region.
Farmers Switch Back to Coffee
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Cao Thị Ngọc Diệp in Kim Bình Hamlet, Sơn Bình Commune is cultivating one hectare of dwarf green coffee and preparing to plant another hectare during the rainy season. She previously grew black pepper, but poor yields and falling pepper prices convinced her to switch. Coffee, she says, offers steady yields, strong disease resistance, and lower care costs than pepper or other crops.
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Hồ Xuân Hương in Sơn Lập Hamlet recently planted 6 sào (≈6,000 m²) of coffee after trying other crops. Three sào are already fruiting; last season those three brought in over 80 million VND profit on just 21 million VND in costs. Despite the price boom, he plans to focus on quality over expansion, aiming to produce safe, high-grade beans.
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Võ Ngọc Thanh in Sông Xoài 2 Hamlet, Láng Lớn Commune intercropped 400 coffee trees (dwarf green and grafted) with durian on 1.8 ha. His coffee yielded over 2 tons last season, selling at nearly 60,000 VND/kg, for over 100 million VND net profit. After abandoning coffee for pepper when prices slumped, then finding durian too costly and labor-intensive, he has returned to coffee and plans to expand further when the rains arrive.
“Coffee is easier to grow and maintain, needs less fertilizer and pesticide, and is less labor-intensive to harvest than pepper,” Thanh explains. “If prices remain stable, farmers won’t struggle growing it.”
Government Support for Replanting
Despite coffee’s relatively low investment costs, previous low prices discouraged growers. To restore production, the provincial People’s Committee approved Decision 186/QĐ-UBND, the Coffee Replanting Plan 2021–2025, focusing on Xuyên Mộc and Châu Đức districts.
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Target: 3–3.5 tons/ha at maturity
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Goal: Increase income per hectare by 1.5× compared with pre-replanting levels.
In 2023, Châu Đức alone replanted or newly planted over 200 ha and expects a similar figure for 2024.
According to Nguyễn Văn Tuấn, deputy head of the Châu Đức Agriculture and Rural Development Office, the district is promoting branding, origin traceability, and high-tech Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Farmers are encouraged to plant locally adapted, high-quality coffee varieties and to intercrop with other crops to raise land productivity.
Strong Prices, Cautious Expansion
Provincial authorities urge farmers to choose certified seed sources and monitor market trends carefully to avoid overproduction that could trigger another price collapse.
With prices strong and demand healthy, Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu’s coffee sector is once again an engine of rural income, and replanting is positioning the province to reclaim its reputation for high-quality Vietnamese coffee.