High-quality rice and machine transplanting are major directions in Hanoi's rice production.

The 80-90% high-quality rice varieties combined with synchronized mechanization firmly establish Hanoi's path towards commercial rice production.

Ngoc Nuong 9 stands firm against the storm.

A sudden early summer downpour hit the rice fields in Phu Xuyen just as the rice was beginning to ripen. Strong winds lashed through the fields of ripening rice. Yet, after the rain, in the Ngoc Nuong 9 rice fields in Dai Xuyen and Phu Xuyen communes ( Hanoi ), the rice plants remained upright, with long ears and sturdy stems, showing almost no signs of lodging.

Ngoc Nuong 9 rice field in Dai Xuyen commune, Hanoi. Photo: Trung Hieu.

In the fields at the end of the season, the bright golden color of the rice spreads evenly across the uniformly sown plots, creating a completely different appearance compared to previous production seasons. Gone are the fields patchy with pests and diseases, or the withered patches of rice due to brown spot and blast. Despite the erratic weather during the spring of 2026, the Ngoc Nuong 9 rice variety still grew steadily, bloomed evenly, and maintained its uniformity until the end of the season.

Developed by Vinaseed Corporation, Ngoc Nuong 9 is a high-quality rice variety that is gradually gaining the trust of people in the suburbs of Hanoi, not only because of its yield but also because of its resistance to pests and diseases and the quality of its rice.

Mr. Nguyen Phu Toan, Director of Phu Xuan Khai Thai Agricultural Cooperative (Phu Xuyen commune), said that through practical production experience, the cooperative found that this rice variety yields quite well, with sticky, fragrant, and delicious rice. Therefore, in the spring of 2026, they boldly registered with the Hanoi Agricultural Extension Center to implement the production of 100 hectares of Ngoc Nuong 9 rice using tray seedlings and machine transplanting.

For the spring crop of 2026, Phu Xuan Khai Thai Agricultural Cooperative registered with the Hanoi Agricultural Extension Center to implement the production of 100 hectares of Ngoc Nuong 9 rice using tray seedlings and machine transplanting. Photo: Trung Hieu.

According to Mr. Toan, throughout the production process, the cooperative regularly inspected the fields and found that the rice plants were only mildly infected with pests and diseases, with a low rate of brown spot disease, so there was almost no need to spray pesticides. By the end of the season, the rice fields maintained a high degree of uniformity, with strong plants, long panicles, and beautiful flowering.

The Phu Xuan Khai Thai Agricultural Cooperative has also begun to form a consumption linkage chain for the people, coordinating with Vinaseed to connect with traders to organize the purchase of products for its members, helping people reduce pressure on output after harvest.

According to the Hanoi Agricultural Extension Center's assessment, the Ngoc Nuong 9 rice production model following VietGAP standards, linked with product consumption, yields at least 15-20% higher economic efficiency compared to conventional production of the same rice variety.

The Ngoc Nuong 9 rice field has high uniformity, strong plants, and long panicles. Photo: Trung Hieu.

Mr. Duong Quang Sau, Deputy General Director of Vinaseed, said that the company's orientation is to develop high-quality rice varieties suitable for each ecological region and to meet the increasingly stringent requirements of the market. Ngoc Nuong 9 is a rice variety in the high-quality rice segment with the advantages of fragrant, sticky rice, good resistance to pests and diseases, thereby helping to reduce the use of pesticides in production.

"We aim for a production chain from field to table. We not only supply seeds, but also transfer technical processes and organize product procurement to create a closed-loop supply chain," Mr. Sau said.

Directions for commercial rice production

In recent years, on many fields in the outskirts of Hanoi, the image of farmers bending over to plant rice seedlings is gradually giving way to rice transplanters running in straight lines across the fields. Along with the introduction of new high-yield, high-quality rice varieties adapted to climate change, mechanization is becoming a crucial link helping the capital's agriculture gradually shift towards large-scale commodity production.

In Dai Xuyen commune, the application of mechanization to the production of Ngoc Nuong 9 rice has shown clear effectiveness. Not only does it free up labor and reduce production costs, but mechanization also helps to make the fields more uniform, limit pests and diseases, and improve the economic efficiency for the people.

Rice fields are more uniform and less susceptible to pests and diseases thanks to the application of mechanization in production. Photo: Trung Hieu.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan (Lap Phuong village, Dai Xuyen commune), who planted 4.7 sao (approximately 0.47 hectares) of Ngoc Nuong 9 rice using a machine this spring, said that machine planting helps the rice plants grow more uniformly, resulting in a more beautiful rice field compared to hand planting, and also makes care much easier. According to local people, machine planting significantly reduces labor costs, limits pests and diseases, almost eliminates the need for pesticides, and can increase yields by about 10% compared to hand planting.

"When production is concentrated in the same field, rice care becomes much easier as simultaneous fertilization can be organized within one or two days, resulting in greater uniformity across the field compared to traditional production methods," Ms. Xuan said.

In the fields of Dai Xuyen today, rice transplanters are not only replacing manual labor but are also changing the way agriculture is practiced. From rows of neatly planted rice, a new direction for high-quality commercial rice production is gradually emerging, opening up the hope of increasing income and keeping people attached to the fields in the context of increasing labor shortages in rural areas.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Phuong assessed that the Ngoc Nuong 9 rice variety is very suitable for expanding its cultivation area in the future. Photo: Trung Hieu.

According to Mr. Nguyen Manh Phuong, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment, the city currently has approximately 80,000 hectares of rice production. In the context of shrinking agricultural land and increasing risk of abandoned fields, Hanoi is strongly orienting itself towards introducing high-quality rice varieties and mechanization into production to increase value per unit area.

According to Mr. Phuong, high-quality rice varieties currently account for about 80% of Hanoi's cultivated area. "Hanoi is not only aiming for high yields but also for quality, food safety, and economic efficiency. Rice varieties like Ngoc Nuong 9, which both yield high productivity and enhance the value of the rice grain, are very suitable for expanding cultivation in the future," Mr. Phuong emphasized.

According to the Hanoi Agricultural Extension Center, for the Ngoc Nuong 9 rice variety, machine transplanting yields approximately 7.8 quintals/hectare more, resulting in an economic efficiency of about 10.6 million VND/hectare higher compared to manual transplanting. This model not only frees up labor and reduces the pressure of hiring seasonal workers but also contributes to reducing environmental pollution due to better ventilation, fewer pests and diseases, and reduced use of pesticides.

More importantly, mechanization is gradually changing people's production mindset, shifting from small-scale, fragmented production to centralized, synchronized production, creating the foundation for the formation of large-scale commodity production areas and facilitating the comprehensive application of mechanization.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/lua-chat-luong-and-cay-may-dinh-huong-lon-trong-san-xuat-lua-cua-ha-noi-d812605.html