DANG HUYNH UC MY: From Coconuts to Shape of Growth for Vietnamese Agriculture

On October 6, 2026, Fortune recognized Ms. Dang Huynh Uc My (Omi Dang), Chairlady of AgriS and Betrimex, on list of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Asia for the second consecutive year. Behind this recognition of a female leader in agriculture lies a noteworthy business story: the transition from growth driven by production scale to growth built on the ability to create greater value.

One Coconut, Multiple Layers of Value

As Vietnam's agricultural sector seeks new growth drivers beyond production volumes and natural resources, Dang Huynh Uc My, Chairlady of AgriS and Betrimex, is pursuing a broader economic question: how can more value be generated from the same raw materials?

The coconut value chain, together with the business models and growth strategies of the two companies, offers insights into how Vietnamese agriculture can move further up the global value chain.

A coconut can be sold as a raw agricultural commodity. Through processing technologies, that same coconut can also be transformed into coconut water, coconut milk, coconut oil, food ingredients, and a range of other value-added products. When supported by research, international standards, and commercial networks, its economic value extends well beyond the farmgate price.

AgriS is strengthening the presence with key coconut-based product lines in high-standard markets.

The difference lies in how the value chain is organized. This reflects a broader challenge for Vietnamese agriculture: how can a country with strong agricultural production advantages participate more deeply in the higher-value segments of global supply chains?

In 2025, Vietnam's coconut exports reached approximately USD 534 million, up nearly 37% year-on-year, reflecting international demand for plant-based foods, natural ingredients, and processed coconut products. However, export growth alone does not fully capture the value that domestic enterprises can retain. Even as an industry increases its output and export turnover, its ability to capture higher value depends on processing capabilities, product development, quality control, and access to end customers.

Betrimex provides a notable example of this transition. According to 2025 Annual Report, the company recorded net revenue of VND 4,902 billion, double the previous year's figure. The company also developed 16,082 hectares of organic coconut-growing areas, with products reaching more than 80 countries and territories.

Ms. Dang Huynh Uc My is the editor-in-chief of “Right to Win – Vietnam Agriculture’s Path to Winning: How AgriS and Betrimex Participate in Global Supply Chains,” which presents a vision for taking Vietnamese agricultural products to global markets through a comprehensive ESG strategy.

What stands out is how Betrimex is expanding its role across the value chain. Beyond supplying raw materials, the company is developing processed products, ingredients for the food industry, and solutions for business customers, enabling it to participate in multiple market segments with different requirements and levels of value creation.

From an economic perspective, growth in the coconut value chain can be assessed through three measures: value generated per hectare of cultivated land, value extracted from each unit of raw material, and the ability to convert revenue into profit and cash flow.

This also underpins Betrimex's ambition to achieve USD 1 billion in revenue by 2030. Reaching that target will require expansion in both scale and capabilities across production, technology, market development, and investment efficiency.

The coconut industry's development is expected to receive further attention at CocoNext 2026, an international coconut industry conference scheduled for December 12, 2026. The event is envisioned as an international gathering for stakeholders across the coconut ecosystem.

“CocoNext is designed as a platform connecting government agencies, scientists, businesses, farmers, and financial institutions to advance technological innovation, trade cooperation, and investment in the coconut industry,” said Ms. Dang Huynh Uc My.

If these connections translate into concrete projects and viable business models, the coconut industry could become a compelling example of how Vietnamese agriculture can move from raw material advantages toward higher-value economic activities.

CocoNext event series initiated by Betrimex in coordination with the Vietnam Coconut Association, with the goal of moving towards a resilient and strong future for the coconut industry.

Shape of Growth for Agriculture

Betrimex's development also reflects a broader direction in AgriS's strategy: building an integrated agricultural economic model that connects raw material sourcing, technology, data, processing, capital, and markets within a unified value-creation system.

For AgriS, the growth equation increasingly extends beyond expanding production capacity. In fiscal year 2025–2026, the company recorded consolidated net revenue of VND 26,733 billion, achieving 101% of its annual target, while profit before tax reached nearly VND 911 billion.

Amid fluctuations in commodity prices and production costs, long-term growth requires greater operational efficiency and the development of new sources of value.

While traditional production models primarily focus on optimizing yields and output, an integrated model seeks to maximize value across the entire chain. Technology and data support agricultural production while providing the foundation for more efficient resource utilization, product development, supply chain management, and market connectivity.

AgriS's launch of its Global Innovation Center in Singapore in September 2026 represents a step in this direction. The center is designed to connect research, technology, capital, production capabilities, and markets, narrowing the gap between R&D and commercialization.

AgriS launches Global Innovation Center in Singapore, connecting research and technology with capital and international markets.

According to Ms. Dang Huynh Uc My, advantages in natural resources or production alone are no longer sufficient to sustain long-term competitiveness. Value is created when businesses integrate production with data, technology, capital, knowledge, and markets into a unified system.

The effectiveness of this growth model will ultimately need to be demonstrated through business performance. For investors, indicators such as profit margins, capital productivity, the revenue contribution of value-added products, and cash flow will become increasingly important alongside overall revenue scale.

“Long-term competitiveness comes from business’s ability to connect production with data, technology, capital, knowledge, and markets. The effectiveness of this growth model must ultimately be demonstrated through business performance.”

Dang Huynh Uc My (Omi Dang), Chairlady of AgriS and Betrimex

This also highlights a major challenge for high-value agriculture. Advanced processing, technological development, and international market expansion all require capital, management capabilities, and time to deliver commensurate returns.

Against this backdrop, a leader's influence can also be measured by the ability to identify growth drivers and mobilize resources to turn strategic ambitions into reality.

Ms. Dang Huynh Uc My's recognition by Fortune for two consecutive years can therefore be viewed in a broader context: the role of a new generation of Vietnamese business leaders in transforming the country's agricultural advantages into international competitiveness.

From Betrimex's coconut value chain to AgriS's integrated agricultural model, new growth opportunities are emerging through technology, capital, market access, and the ability to generate greater value from existing resources.

The next phase of growth for Vietnamese agriculture will be shaped by capabilities that extend beyond the fields, including mastery of technology, access to capital and markets, and participation in the higher-value stages of the agricultural value chain.

Ms. Dang Huynh Uc My was recognized in the Most Powerful Women Asia list at the Fortune Innovation Forum 2025, connecting with more than 300 global business leaders and policymakers.

As Dang Huynh Uc My notes:

“Vietnam can become the ‘world’s kitchen’ by moving beyond agricultural production and mastering the technologies, standards, and brands that drive value creation across the global food value chain.”