Received: Feb 12, 2026 / Accepted: Apr 15, 2026 / Published: Jun 30, 2026
This study focused on estimating the level of technical efficiency in beef cattle production in the alluvial river areas near the Hung Yen urban center, using cross-sectional data collected from 150 beef cattle households. The data envelopment analysis was applied for technical efficiency estimation, and a Tobit modelling approach was employed to identify the determinants of technical efficiency. The results indicated that beef cattle production in the study area is characterized by a high and relatively homogeneous level of efficiency, with a mean technical efficiency under a variable return to scale of 95.4%. The key factors that positively enhanced technical efficiency included the farmer’s education level, the proportion of household income derived from beef production, and the number of cattle sold. Dependence on purchased roughage and excessive warehouse area per head were found to significantly reduce efficiency. These findings suggest that competitiveness can be achieved by capitalizing on scale advantage through encouraging herd consolidation or moderate scale expansion. Furthermore, policies should promote on-farm forage development to reduce farmer reliance on unstable external feed markets, and extension programs should be strategically targeted towards technically oriented and educated farmers who show a higher capacity to adopt innovations.
