Improving the Competitiveness of Coffee Exports: A Case Study in the Central Highlands Provinces, Vietnam | Research on World Agricultural Economy

Improving the Competitiveness of Coffee Exports: A Case Study in the Central Highlands Provinces, Vietnam

Le Thi Thanh Huyen

Faculty of Political Economy, Academy of Politics Gegion III, Da Nang city, Vietnam.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36956/rwae.v6i3.1956

Received: 8 April 2025 | Revised: 30 May 2025 | Accepted: 16 June 2025 | Published Online: 23 July 2025

Copyright © 2025 Le Thi Thanh Huyen. Published by Nan Yang Academy of Sciences Pte. Ltd.

Creative Commons LicenseThis is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.


Abstract

The objective of this study is to identify the factors that affect the competitiveness of coffee exports in the Central Highlands provinces of Vietnam. Through reviewing previous studies, conducting field visits to enterprises, and consulting with experts, the author has proposed factors for the research model. A survey was conducted with representatives from 271 coffee exporting enterprises in the Central Highlands. The author used SPSS software to process the data and evaluate the factors in the proposed research model. The results indicate that five factors affect the improvement of coffee export competitiveness for enterprises in the Central Highlands provinces of Vietnam, listed in the following order: (1) Employee qualifications, (2) Readiness to apply technology, (3) Product diversity and quality, (4) Factors related to the production process, (5) Government support. Based on the level of influence of these factors, the author provides recommendations to help enterprises enhance their competitiveness in the coffee export market. This study also serves as a valuable reference for managers in the coffee export sector to develop policies that promote coffee export activities in the current fiercely competitive environment.

Keywords: Competitiveness; Coffee; Export; Central Highlands; Vietnam


References

[1] Tuệ, Q., 2025. Coffee exports to hit record $5.48 billion in 2024 (in Vietnamese). Available from: https://vneconomy.vn/xuat-khau-ca-phe-dat-ky-luc-5-48-ty-usd-nam-2024.htm (cited 12 June 2025).

[2] Thương, B.C., 2025. Coffee exports need to consider the "long term" (in Vietnamese). Available from: https://tapchitaichinh.vn/xuat-khau-ca-phe-can-tinh-chuyen-duong-dai.html (cited 12 June 2025).

[3] Boansi, D., Crentsil, C., 2013. Competitiveness and determinants of coffee exports, producer price and production for Ethiopia. Journal of Advanced Research in Economics and International Business. 1, 31–56.

[4] Purwawangsa, H., Irfany, M.I., Haq, D.A., 2024. Indonesian coffee exports' competitiveness and determinants. Jurnal Manajemen & Agribisnis. 21(1), 59–59. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17358/jma.21.1.59

[5] Nguyen, T.V., Nguyen, N.C., Bosch, O.J., 2017. Enhancing the competitive advantages of Vietnamese coffee through the exploration of causal loop modelling in the supply chain. International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management. 26, 17–33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJLSM.2017.080629

[6] Nugroho, A.D., Lakner, Z., 2022. Effect of globalization on coffee exports in producing countries: A dynamic panel data analysis. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business. 9, 419–429. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2022.vol9.no4.0419

[7] Darmawan, A., Surachman, A., Hurriyati, R., et al., 2021. Factors affected the decline of Indonesian coffee competitiveness in export market during 2009–2018. Proceedings of The 5th Global Conference on Business, Management and Entrepreneurship (GCBME 2020); Auguts 8, 2020; Bandung, Indonesia. pp. 175–179. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/aebmr.k.210831.034

[8] Vo, T.D., Yang, L., Tran, M.D., 2024. Determinants influencing Vietnam coffee exports. Cogent Business & Management. 11, 2337961. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2337961

[9] Faizin, R., Darmansyah, D., Aulia, M.R., 2024. Critical drivers of digital marketing implementation in the coffee industry of Central Aceh Regency. Journal of System and Management Sciences. 14, 115–128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33168/JSMS.2024.1107

[10] Deepika, M.G., 2017. Export performance and factors affecting competitiveness of plantation commodities in India. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics. 72, 555–575.

[11] Le, N.V., Huyen, P.T., Nguyet, N.T., et al., 2024. The factors influencing the export activities of coffee products: a typical study in the export of Vietnamese coffee to the EU market. Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental. 18, 1–23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24857/rgsa.vl8n8-054

[12] Tesfaye, Z., 2021. Surviving International Competition: An Assessment of Determinants Affecting the Coffee Export Performance [PhD dissertation]. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: St. Mary’s University.

[13] Thuy, T.T.T., 2012. Research on policies and solutions to improve the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises in the field of production, processing and consumption of agricultural and forestry products in the context of international economic integration (in Vietnamese). Available from: https://vafs.gov.vn/vn/nghien-cuu-chinh-sach-va-giai-phap-nang-cao-nang-luc-canh-tranh-cua-cac-doanh-nghiep-vua-va-nho-trong-linh-vuc-san-xuat-che-bien-va-tieu-thu-nong-lam-san-trong-dieu-kien-hoi-nhap-kinh-te-quoc-t/ (cited 24 May 2025).

[14] Hanh, L.T., Huong, C.T.T., 2024. Factors affecting the intention to apply high technology in agricultural production of Vietnamese youth (in Vietnamese). Tạp chí Khoa học Thương mại. 196, 20–39.

[15] Loan, N.T.N., 2017. Solutions to improve competitiveness for Vietnam's agricultural products and processed food exports (in Vietnamese). Học viện Ngân hàng. 15–23.

[16] Kotler, P., Keller, K.L., 2016. A Framework for Marketing Management. Pearson Education Limited: Boston, MA, USA.

[17] Porter, M.E., 1985. Technology and competitive advantage. Journal of Business Strategy. 5, 60–78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/eb039075

[18] Kotler, P., Keller, K.L., 2012. Marketing Management: Philip Kotler, Kevin Lane Keller. Pearson: Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA.

[19] Wintgens, J.N., 2004. The coffee plant. In: Wintgens, J.N. (ed.). Coffee: Growing, Processing, Sustainable Production: A Guidebook for Growers, Processors, Traders, and Researchers. Wiley-VCH: Weinheim, Germany. pp. 1–24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9783527619627.ch1

[20] Porter, M.E., 1990. New global strategies for competitive advantage. Planning Review. 18, 4–14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/eb054287

[21] Brigham, E.F., Houston, J.F., 2012. An overview of financial management. In: Fundamentals of Financial Management. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ali-Abbas-22/publication/345433014_alfsl_alawl_nzrt_amt_n_aladart_almalyt/links/5fa6885c458515157bf437f5/alfsl-alawl-nzrt-amt-n-aladart-almalyt.pdf (cited 25 May 2025).

[22] Drucker, P., 2012. Post-Capitalist Society. Routledge: New York, NY, USA.

[23] Meckling, W.H., Jensen, M.C., 1976. Theory of the firm: managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. In: Managerial Behavior, Agency Costs and Ownership Structure. 3, 305–360. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9257-3_8

[24] Porter, M., 1996. America’s green strategy. In: Welford, R., Starkey, R. (eds.). Business and the Environment: A Reader. Earthscan: London, UK. pp. 33–35.

[25] Kotler, P., Maon, F., 2016. A Stakeholder Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility: Pressures, Conflicts, and Reconciliation. Routledge: New York, NY, USA.

[26] Parasuraman, A., 2000. Technology Readiness Index (TRI): A multiple-item scale to measure readiness to embrace new technologies. Journal of Service Research. 2, 307–320. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/109467050024001

[27] Porter, A.L., Rossini, F.A., 1985. Peer review of interdisciplinary research proposals. Science, Technology, & Human Values. 10, 33–38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01622439850100030

[28] Becker, E., 1964. The Revolution in Psychiatry. Free Press: New York, NY, USA.

[29] Rogers, S.E., Jiang, K., Rogers, C.M., et al., 2016. Strategic human resource management of volunteers and the link to hospital patient satisfaction. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. 45, 409–424. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/089976401559643

[30] Tho, N.Đ., 2014. Curriculum on Scientific Research Methods in Business (in Vietnamese). Nhà Xuất bản Lao động: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

[31] Trọng, H., Ngọc, C.N.M., 2008. Analyzing Research Data with SPSS - Volume 2 (in Vietnamese). Nhà xuất bản Thống kê: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

[32] Trọng, H., Ngọc, C.N.M., 2017. Applied Statistics in Economics & Business (in Vietnamese). Nhà xuất bản Thống kê: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

[33] Deepika, M.G., 2017. Export performance and factors affecting competitiveness of plantation commodities in India. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics. 72, 555–575.

[34] Suryana, A.T., Saleh, Y., Dewi, T.G., et al., 2024. Global competitiveness of coffee products: a comparative study of Indonesia and Vietnam. Coffee Science. 19, e192237. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25186/.v19i.2237

[35] Dung, P., 2021. Analysis of factors affecting coffee export results of coffee exporting enterprises in Hanoi (in Vietnamese) [Master's thesis]. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam: Trường Đại học Kinh tế Tp. Hồ Chí Minh.

[36] Le, A., 2024. To soon reach the export milestone of 5 billion USD, Vietnamese coffee needs to consider the long term. Available from: https://baochinhphu.vn/som-can-moc-xuat-khau-5-ty-usd-ca-phe-viet-can-tinh-chuyen-duong-dai-102240330182512929.htm (cited 04 June 2025).

[37] Hien, N.T.T., 2022. Impact of non-tariff measures on Vietnam's coffee exports. Available from: https://scholar.dlu.edu.vn/thuvienso/bitstream/DLU123456789/186115/1/CVv286S1642022003.pdf (cited 01 June 2025).

[38] Widyantini, R., 2019. Analysis of the competitiveness of Indonesian coffee in the export market. Jurnal Cendikia Niaga (JCN). 3, 14–23.

[39] Gois, T.C., Thomé, K.M., Balogh, J.M., 2023. Behind a cup of coffee: international market structure and competitiveness. Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal. 33, 993–1009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-10-2021-0141

[40] da Cruz Correia, P.F., Mendes dos Reis, J.G., Amorim, P.S., et al., 2024. Impacts of Brazilian green coffee production and its logistical corridors on the international coffee market. Logistics. 8(2), 39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/logistics8020039

[41] Wanzala, R.W., Marwa, N., Lwanga, E.N., 2024. Impact of exchange rate volatility on coffee export in Kenya. Cogent Economics & Finance. 12, 2330447. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2024.2330447

Online ISSN: 2737-4785, Print ISSN: 2737-4777, Published by Nan Yang Academy of Sciences Pte. Ltd.