According to the Vietnam Trade Office in the UK, in 2020, the volume of rice imported into the UK increased by 13.5% from 671,601 tons (in 2019) to 762,526 tons. In which, rice imported from Vietnam increased from 1,296 tons (worth 1,295,000 USD) to 3,396 tons (worth 2,670,000 USD) in the same period.

Thus, Vietnam's rice export to the UK in 2020 has increased dramatically by 116% in volume and 106% in value compared to 2019. However, the market share of Vietnamese rice in the UK only accounted for 0.43% in 2019 and 0.45% by 2020.

Vietnamese rice is sold in the UK with the following brands: Longdan, Golden Lotus, Buffalo (of Longdan Supermarket), Green Dragon (of Westmill UK) and Red Ant (of MediFood).

Products under a distributor's mark without the manufacturer's branding is one of the common business practices in the UK permitted by law.

So far, the majority of Vietnamese rice in the UK has been branded as a distributor, not a brand of the growing region or a trademark of an exporter because the exporter has not yet been a brand or a local distributor believes their own brand name is more effective in marketing than the Vietnamese exporter's brand, especially when the Vietnamese rice brand is not known by local consumers.

In a competitive environment that is more conducive to local importers than foreign exporters, Vietnamese exporters are often willing to accept unbranded rice exports and let distributors use their own brands.

To be able to create a bigger market breakthrough and strengthen a sustainable position for Vietnamese rice grain in the UK market as well as other major markets, the Vietnamese rice industry needs to implement an appropriate brand strategy for each market.

The Vietnam Trade Office in the UK said that the National Brand Program needs to select a number of high-quality rice varieties with large yields to name in a simple, easy-to-remember, easy-to-pronounce way and associated with place name of rice cultivation, for example: Soc Trang Vietnam rice), or the name of the breeder, for example Ong Cua rice, to be able to apply for favorable protection in a foreign country. Although ST25 rice has been awarded as the best rice in the world in 2019, very few British people know it and there is not much marketing effectiveness in the UK market, said Mr. Nguyen Canh Cuong - Vietnam Trade Office in the UK.