(Radio Iowa) – Vietnamese officials visiting Iowa have signed agreements to buy more agricultural products from the Midwest, including Iowa. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says the five agreements represent 800 MILLION dollars worth of soybeans, corn, dried distillers grain and pork. “I would definitely categorize it as historic,” Naig said, “and what we need to be seeing even more of.” The agreements, which are non-binding, were signed yesterday (Monday) during a ceremony at the Iowa Capitol. Naig led a trade mission to Vietnam in 2023 and plans to return to the country this fall.

“We’ve seen Vietnam as an attractive market, a market that’s got a real upside,” Naig said. “It’s a young population. It’s a growing economy.” Under one of the agreements, Vietnam is to purchase of 400 MILLION dollars worth of soybeans and soybean meal from A-G-P, a farmer owned cooperative that has five processing plants in Iowa. Randy Miller, a farmer from Lacona, is on the U-S Soybean Export Council’s board of directors. “Vietnam has grown to one of the most valued partners,” Miller said, “and we don’t take that for granted.”

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds hosted a delegation of Vietnamese officials on June 2, 2025. (Governor’s office photo)

Commodity groups see Vietnam and other Asian countries as opportunities to diversify supply chains, especially with escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China.