Vietnam is divided into six agro-ecological zones. Accordingly, the cattle industry is disaggregated into six zones by MARD. The regional distribution patterns are presented in Figure 2 and Figure 3. Cattle are distributed throughout the country, with the highest concentration in the north and south central coast provinces, and the lowest concentration in the river deltas. Cattle are also relatively common in the upland areas in the northern mountains, where they are kept for draught purposes.
Though most cattle are produced in smallholder systems, there are small-scale specialised and commercial feedlots located in the south eastern provinces (MARD, 2014). These farms take advantage of feed resources and by-products from food processing plants and provide quality beef to the Ho Chi Minh City market. Around 70% of imported feeder cattle from Australia are fattened in these provinces.
