The protein shift, or transition, entails a reduction in the production and consumption of animal-source foods, and an increase in plant-based foods and alternative proteins, at a global level. The shift is primarily motivated by the need to minimise the impact of the food system on social-ecological systems.

While progress has been made recently in understanding food systems per se, much less is known about policies around those food systems.

Using data collected from a cross-sectional study in Moc Chau, Dong Anh and Cau Giay districts in Vietnam, this report aims to elucidate specific components of local Vietnamese food systems along a rural to urban transect focusing specifically on (i) diets, (ii) nutrition status (anthropometry), (iii) consumer behavior, (iv) food environment, and (v) food flows. The results are summarized as below:

The call for transforming food systems from their current unsustainable trajectories toward more desirable, healthy, sustainable, resilient, and equitable outcomes has received unprecedented echoes recently—particularly following the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit.

Current food systems fail to provide equity, sustainability, and positive health outcomes, thus underscoring the critical need for their transformation. Intervening in food environments holds substantial promise for contributing to this much-needed transformation.

This Food Systems (FS) profile aims to provide a synopsis of the food system of the Moc Chau District in Son La, a peri-urban area in north Vietnam. This profile gives an overview of the main food system outcomes, constituent elements and drivers.

This Food Systems (FS) profile aims to provide a synopsis of the food system of the Dong Anh district in Hanoi, a peri-urban area in north Vietnam. This profile gives an overview of the main food system outcomes, constituent elements and drivers.

This Food Systems (FS) profile aims to provide a synopsis of the food system of the Cau Giay district in Hanoi, an urban area in north Vietnam.

This policy baseline assessment was to provide a snapshot of the views and perceptions of policy-makers and key actors in different domains directly related to food system in Vietnam. This work contributes in Vietnam to the Food System for Healthier Diet flagship implemented as part of the Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) CGIAR Research Programme.

In this study, the authors investigate how the nutrition—food—environment nexus changes across a rural–urban transect and gender and affects diets, food choices, and consequent environmental impacts. The study aims to (1) characterize the dietary patterns and the GHGE and blue water use associated with the diets and (2) to examine the associations between food sourcing, perceived food choices, and diet-related environmental impacts in three contrasting urban, peri-urban, and rural districts in Northern Vietnam.

Vietnamese food systems are undergoing rapid transformation, with important implications for human and environmental health and economic development. Poverty has decreased, and diet quality and undernutrition have improved significantly since the end of the Doi Moi reform period (1986-1993) as a result of Viet Nam opening its economy and increasing its regional and global trade.

To foster in-depth research and practical applications, selecting benchmark sites from rural to urban areas not only reflects the diversity of food systems but also serves as a key to sustainable solutions.