Abstract: In this study, the CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes in the first year after land use conversion from paddy rice to vegetables were measured by static opaque chamber and gaschromatograph (GC) method to investigate the land conversion effects on soil CO₂ and CH₄ emissions. Our results showed that the differences in CO₂ fluxes depended on the vegetable types, growing status and seasons. The CO₂ flux from the vegetable field was greater than that from the paddy rice field when cowpea was planted, but was lower when pepper was planted. The CH₄ flux significantly decreased from 6.96 mg C·m^-2·h^-1 to -0.004 mg C·m^-2·h^-1 with the land use conversion from rice to vegetables. The net  carbon absorption (CO₂ + CH₄) of the vegetable fields was 543 kg C·hm^-2, significantly lower than that (3641 kg C·hm^-2) of the rice paddies. However, no significant difference was found in their global warming impact. In addition, soil carbon content increased in vegetable fields compared to the paddy rice fields after a year of conversion, especially in the 10-20 cm soil layer.