ST25 rice honoured with “World’s Best Rice” Award for third time
VOV.VN - The Rice Trader (TRT), the organiser of the International Rice Summit and the World’s Best Rice Award, has presented the 2025 “World’s Best Rice” title to ST25 rice, a high-quality Vietnamese rice variety developed by agronomist Ho Quang Cua.
At the award ceremony held in Can Tho City on February 2, Jeremy Zwinger, TRT CEO and President of the Global Rice Traders Association, presented the trophy, marking the third time ST25 has claimed the world’s top title, after previous wins in 2019 and 2023.
ST25 won first prize jointly with Cambodia’s Phka Romdoul rice at the World’s Best Rice competition held in Phnom Penh in November 2025 as part of the 17th Global Rice Trade Conference.
Representing the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), Chairman Do Ha Nam described ST25 as the result of a long and persistent journey, with engineer Ho Quang Cua standing as a vivid symbol of modern Vietnamese agriculture. He noted that ST25 has firmly established its position in both domestic and international markets.
During the 2025–2026 winter–spring crop, the cultivated area of ST25 reached nearly 200,000 hectares, up about 60% year on year, with output expected to rise sharply in the first half of the year.
Notably, more than 70% of ST25 rice is currently exported to major markets such as the United States, Europe, Australia, China, and Southeast Asia, demonstrating growing international confidence in high-quality Vietnamese rice.
Tran Chi Hung, Vice Chairman of the Can Tho People’s Committee, emphasised that ST25’s continued recognition is not only a source of pride for the research team, but also the collective achievement of scientists, businesses and millions of farmers nationwide. Can Tho City, he added, would continue supporting enterprises and farmers in developing raw material areas, strengthening value chain linkages and building a sustainable Vietnamese rice brand.
With its consistent top ranking and three championship titles, ST25 has become not only a symbol of national pride but also a strong guarantee of the quality of Vietnamese agricultural products in the global market.