Transition towards a Safe, Sustainable, and Professional Horticulture Sector in Vietnam

Overview of Greenhouse Horticulture Progress in Vietnam

Over the past decade, Vietnam’s greenhouse vegetable production has undergone significant growth. Farmers have upgraded to modern greenhouse infrastructures and adopted advanced growing technologies, resulting in improved productivity, higher-quality crops, and increased profitability per area. However, pest and disease control still heavily relies on frequent use of chemical crop protection products.

The Shift to Sustainable Pest Management: Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Vietnamese farmers are increasingly motivated to embrace safer, more sustainable agricultural practices due to stricter food safety requirements and market demands. This has led to growing adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), an eco-friendly strategy that minimizes chemical use by combining multiple pest control techniques.

Key Elements of IPM:

• Problem Assessment: Identifying pest or disease severity to determine appropriate control measures.
• Preventive Measures: Crop rotation, planting resistant varieties, using certified seeds, hygiene protocols, and efficient irrigation.
• Monitoring: Regular pest and disease surveillance to decide on necessary interventions.
• Decision Making: Prioritizing preventive and non-chemical actions before resorting to chemical controls.
• Non-Chemical Methods: Employing natural enemies, physical controls (e.g., sticky traps), and pheromones.
• Chemical Controls: Used as a last resort with emphasis on safe, minimal, and targeted application.

Dutch-Vietnamese Collaboration for Sustainable Horticulture

Aligned with the Netherlands-Vietnam Strategic Partnership Arrangement on sustainable agriculture and food security, the Dutch government supports scaling IPM adoption within Vietnam’s horticulture sector. Dutch expertise contributes to safer crop protection application techniques and holistic pest management practices from seedlings to harvest.

The IPM Lam Dong Project

Launched in October 2025 and funded by the Dutch Government, the IPM Lam Dong project aims to make IPM the standard practice among Vietnamese farmers. Key objectives include:

• Establishing three IPM demonstration sites
• Providing farmer training and extension services on IPM techniques
• Enhancing knowledge and application of sustainable pest management
• Supporting a climate-smart, transparent, and responsible horticulture supply chain

Project partners include Fresh Studio, Koppert, Da Lat University, and the Provincial Plant Protection Department of Lam Dong.

IPM Conference Highlights

The project was officially launched at an IPM conference in Da Lat city on 8 October 2025, with over 200 participants including government officials, Dutch horticultural companies, and local stakeholders. Live demonstrations showcased the effectiveness of biological control agents—such as predatory wasps, bugs, and mites—in managing key pests like spider mites, thrips, whiteflies, and aphids in sweet pepper crops.

Looking Ahead

IPM Lam Dong will continue to expand training and field demonstrations through the end of 2026. The initiative underscores the profound interest among Vietnamese farmers and horticultural stakeholders to transition toward sustainable, professional, and climate-resilient production systems.

For inquiries:
Email: HAN-LVVN@minbuza.nl or HCM-LVVN@minbuza.nl
LinkedIn: Netherlands Agricultural Network in Vietnam

Sources: Agroberichten Buitenland, Fresh Studio, Koppert

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