HANOI: Vietnamese agribusiness giant Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group is expanding its regional agricultural investment with a US$50 million high-quality coffee plantation and processing venture covering 5,000 hectares in Champasak province.
According to a report by Tuoi Tre News on Monday (May 11), the company inked a Memorandum of Understanding with Champasak authorities in Gia Lai province on Sunday.
The signing ceremony was attended by provincial leaders from both countries, the Lao Consul General in Danang, and the Secretary of the Champasak Provincial Party Committee, Alounxay Sounnalath.
Under the agreement, Hoang Anh Gia Lai, chaired by Vietnamese businessman Doan Nguyen Duc, will establish a large-scale coffee plantation and processing facility on the Bolaven Plateau, an area known for its fertile soil and favourable climate for premium coffee cultivation.
The project is expected to produce high-quality coffee beans for export to international markets while promoting modern agricultural practices and value-added processing.
Speaking at the ceremony, Alounxay said provincial authorities would coordinate closely with the relevant sectors to facilitate the project’s implementation and support the development of hi-tech agriculture in Champasak.
He expressed confidence that the plantation would contribute to local socio-economic development, create jobs, and strengthen agricultural productivity in the province.
Deputy Chairman of the Gia Lai provincial administration, Nguyen Huu Que, said Gia Lai and Champasak had already established broad cooperation across multiple sectors, adding that the coffee plantation would further deepen ties between the two provinces.
Hoang Anh Gia Lai also announced plans to expand its plantations to more than 20,000 hectares across Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam as part of its long-term strategy to become a leading regional and global agricultural company.
The group is one of Vietnam’s largest agricultural production and processing enterprises and has been among the pioneering Vietnamese investors in Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, focusing mainly on the cultivation of bananas, jackfruit, mangoes and durian.
Speaking at the recent Coffee Festival 2026 in Vientiane, Deputy Director General of the Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion under the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Vithoun Sitthimolada, said coffee is one of Laos’ leading agricultural exports, generating millions of dollars annually and creating jobs for 25,000 households.
“The government is looking forward to boosting production capacity and production chains for export competition as well as upgrading capacity to international standards and creating more opportunities for local growers in the international arena,” he said.
Coffee is Laos’ leading value-added agricultural export, generating more than US$200 million annually and bolstering rural incomes.
Recognising coffee’s contribution to the country’s economic growth, the government and development partners have spent the last decade improving production, quality, and market access.
While the Bolaven Plateau remains the main growing region, coffee is also cultivated in the northern provinces of Phongsaly, Huaphan and Xiengkhouang, where growers are receiving positive feedback. - Vientiane Times/ANN
