The May 3 vessel was the first of three cargoes of U.S. corn arriving in the six weeks. On May 3, the first direct shipment of U.S. corn since 2016 arrived at the port of Cai Lan in Vietnam. The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) representatives were present to welcome the new shipment. The detection of quarantined pests in 2016 led to import suspensions last year after the Vietnamese Plant Protection Department (PPD) issued a decision to institute new fumigation requirements for U.S. corn shipments and temporarily suspended DDGS importation. The Vietnamese government eased requirements for phosphine fumigation treatment for U.S. corn imports and lifted its suspension of U.S. DDGS imports in September 2017, following a combined effort between by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and USGC in cooperation with PPD and local industry members in Vietnam. The groups worked together to address the Vietnamese government’s concerns and help return open access to one of the fastest growing feed markets in the world.