More opportunities for Vietnamese goods to enter foreign supermarkets

Ta Hoang Linh, director of the Europe - Americas Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, pointed out that the awareness of the business community, relevant ministries, and localities about the role of foreign distribution channels has been raised, with this being considered an effective way to promote local products and brands.

With more than 60 trade offices based in countries worldwide, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will continue to support relevant agencies and localities in providing strategic guidance relating to market access and connecting Vietnamese businesses to foreign distribution systems.

However, Linh stressed the need to fully tap into advantageous products, select potential markets and focus on several leading enterprises as a means of penetrating more deeply into the foreign distribution system moving forward.

Most notably, Vietnamese goods, especially agricultural products, have hit the shelves of large supermarkets in France, Australia, Japan, and Thailand over the past year, with popular items including lychee, dragon fruit, banana, and fish sauce.

Shiotani Yuichiro, general director of AEON TOPVALU Vietnam, revealed that AEON mainly imported fresh bananas from the Philippines in the past, but it has started importing bananas from the Vietnamese market since 2022, particularly as the taste of Vietnamese bananas are considered to be better than other countries.

The AEON representative pointed out that aside from quality and price, Vietnamese export companies have set up a circular and sustainable production model, with the amount of waste hitting zero, which has become the selection criteria for foreign importers at present.

Sharing this perspective, Aly Ansari, senior director in charge of supply sources under the US' Walmart Group, pointed that Walmart has always focused on competitive factors in terms of quality, price, and sustainable value.