Vietnam has set a rice export target of around 5.7 million tonnes for 2017. In August, the price of normal rice inched up, while that of the high-quality rice fell slightly. The price increase was attributed to the fact that winners of contracts to export rice to the Philippines accelerated purchasing. China remained the biggest importer of Vietnamese rice in the first seven months of this year. Early this year, rice exports showed positive signs thanks to export contracts with the Philippines, China and Africa.