An Empirical Study of Food Demand in Vietnam

This paper uses a linear approximation of Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) and extended AIDS models to investigate food consumption in Vietnam using the Vietnam Living Standard Survey (VLSS) in 2004. In particular, AIDS models are estimated to calculate income and price elasticities for three different components of food categories. Our results suggest that rice food and meat/fish are normal goods, while non-rice food is luxury. Household characteristics such as age, gender, and education do not appear to affect food consumption significantly, while urban/rural location is important. These results may give empirical evidence for policy-makers to design food policy in Vietnam.