Drivers of transformation of pig production in Vietnam: from smallholder farming to concentrate and integrated industries

Since reunification in 1975, Vietnam’s porcine husbandry sector has undergone significant changes and growth. This shift aligns with the transition from subsistence farming to specialized, modern operations, including the adoption of crossbred and exotic breeds, industrial feed, and modern barn systems. In order to analyze this transition and its drivers, this paper mobilizes the multi-level perspective (MLP). This framework highlights the interplay of innovations, external pressures, and regime changes. In these socio-technical transformations, we identify five different phases: collective economy; renovation; expansion of family farms; concentration of pig production; and relocation and value chain integration. Key drivers of this transition include government policies such as market liberalization, land reforms, and the promotion of investments in infrastructure and technology, which have created favourable conditions for growth of pork production. Economic development and urbanization have increased pork demand, accelerated labour migration from agriculture, and facilitated agricultural concentration. Meanwhile, crises such as animal disease outbreaks and hog price fluctuations have further pushed the sector to shift towards larger, commercialized, and integrated models like the feed-farm-food system. This highlights future research opportunities, such as strategies to support these niches and create a fair environment where large-scale, small-scale, domestic, and foreign actors can coexist to promote sustainable pig production in Vietnam.