May 8, 2026
Vietnam poultry farmers face mounting losses as chicken and egg prices slide below production costs
Oversupply, weak post-Tet demand and rising feed costs are squeezing margins across Vietnam's Southeast poultry belt.
Chicken and egg prices across Vietnam's key poultry-producing regions have fallen sharply since March, with several varieties trading below production costs as oversupply and weak consumer demand weigh on the market.
In Dong Nai province, the country's largest livestock hub, coloured-feather chicken prices dropped to VND42,000–45,000 (US$1.59–1.71) per kilogramme in early May, down 15% year-on-year. Industrial white-feather chickens were trading close to production cost at VND25,000–27,000, while free-range chickens fell 27–30% year-on-year. Egg prices have fared no better, with industrial eggs selling at VND1,600–1,700 per egg against a production cost of around VND2,000.
Nguyen Quy Khiem, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Poultry Association, pointed to several compounding factors: a post-Tet inventory overhang, feed costs up 10–15% with a further rise possible, higher freight costs linked to Middle East tensions, and approximately 300,000 tonnes of imported poultry entering the market in the first four months of 2026.
Khiem advised farmers to reduce flock sizes, stagger breeding cycles and adopt biosecurity standards to protect output quality and market access.
