The event gathered representatives from various provincial departments and sectors, along with cooperatives and coffee enterprises operating in Son La.

Son La province possesses significant geographical and climatic advantages for cultivating Arabica coffee, a crop with high economic value. Since the late 1980s, the province has implemented the “Arabica Coffee Development Programme.”

Since 2017, several new policies and mechanisms have been introduced to encourage investment, improve quality, and build a sustainable coffee value chain. These policies have focused on supporting enterprises and cooperatives in adopting good agricultural practices (GAP) and applying high technology in production processes.

As of the end of 2024, Son La had 23,312 hectares of coffee, producing nearly 30,000 tonnes of green coffee beans. It boasts the largest Arabica coffee-growing area in Vietnam, accounting for 47.9% of the nation’s total Arabica area and over 73% of the northern region’s coffee acreage.

The province has successfully established five production–processing–consumption linkage chains, developed two high-tech coffee production zones, and introduced five OCOP (One Commune, One Product) coffee products, including one nationally certified 5-star product.

With these achievements, Son La coffee has become a key export, with an estimated 31,700 tonnes of green coffee beans shipped abroad per year, valued at 88.77 million USD, nearly half of the province’s total export value. Major export destinations include the European Union, North America, the Middle East, and ASEAN countries.

During the workshop, 13 presentations were delivered. Delegates expressed strong consensus on the need for comprehensive and synchronised solutions, from production to market development, to ensure sustainable growth of the coffee sector.

Participants provided in-depth feedback on the study “Policies for Coffee Development in Son La: Current Situation and Solutions,” aimed at improving the province’s policy framework.

In terms of scientific and technological solutions, speakers emphasised the importance of applying modern science and technology to enhance product quality. They also proposed measures to promote market expansion through enterprise–cooperative linkages, strengthen brand management, geographical indications, and planting area codes, and leverage these as key tools for building competitive advantages.

These efforts, they noted, are essential for helping Son La coffee integrate more effectively into domestic and international value chains.