The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is an agency of the Government of Vietnam responsible for the state management of agriculture and the environment. It was established through the merger of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment during an extraordinary session of the National Assembly in February 2025. This was part of an administrative reform to streamline the state apparatus under General Secretary To Lam.
The Ministry consists of 30 units, including 5 departments, 21 specialized bureaus, and 4 public service units. The current Minister is Tran Duc Thang.
The Ministry is headquartered at 10 Ton That Thuyet Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi.
Since becoming General Secretary, To Lam has advocated for streamlining the Vietnamese state apparatus to improve efficiency. Following high-level meetings in late 2024, a government plan dated December 6, 2024, proposed merging the two ministries to resolve overlapping responsibilities in water resource management, river basins, and biodiversity. On January 11, 2025, the Politburo approved the name "Ministry of Agriculture and Environment."
On February 18, 2025, the National Assembly officially established the Ministry. It inherited all functions from the two predecessor ministries, along with poverty reduction management from the former Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. Do Duc Duy, the former Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, was elected as the first Minister. The Ministry officially began operations on March 1, 2025.
On July 17, 2025, after four months in office, Do Duc Duy was suspended following disciplinary action by the Party. Tran Duc Thang was subsequently appointed Acting Minister.
The Ministry manages state affairs regarding:
The merger reduced the total number of units from 53 to 30. During the transition, 717 staff members applied to resign, while 283 expressed interest in voluntary retirement with financial support.