Engineer Ho Quang Cua (R) receives the World's Best Rice Award during the award ceremony in Phnom Penh on November 9

The recognition marks the third time Vietnam’s ST25 rice has been crowned the world’s best, following its victories in 2019 and 2023, reaffirming the country’s growing reputation on the global rice map.

According to the organizers, the top three entries of this year’s competition came from the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam, with the two latter countries sharing first place.

At the event, representatives of Ho Quang Tri Private Enterprise, the producer of the ST25 rice brand Ong Cua, presented the company’s 30-year journey of research and innovation in developing high-quality fragrant rice varieties.

Developed by engineer and Labour Hero Ho Quang Cua and his research team in former Soc Trang province, ST25 is the result of decades of careful crossbreeding and selection. The rice is long-grained, translucent, and non-chalky. When cooked, it produces soft, fragrant rice with pandan and young rice aromas, a rich natural sweetness, and maintains its texture and aroma even when cooled – the qualities that have captivated both domestic consumers and international culinary experts.