Vietnamese farm produce popularised in RoK
The Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Korea, TPS Farmers and Vinaka companies signed an agreement in the southern city of Kwangyang on June 25 to boost the import and distribution of Vietnamese farm produce in the country.
The Vietnamese community in the RoK have rising demand for agro-aquatic products and processed food from Vietnam, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. At the same time, Vietnam’s cuisine is becoming popular in the RoK with more than 4,000 Vietnamese restaurants nationwide, according to a survey of Chosun cuisine magazine in 2019.
With the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Department of Asian – African Markets, the embassy’s Trade Office actively worked with Vietnamese exporters and importers to study demand and suggest building a regular information sharing mechanism to promptly tackle difficulties.
As a result, they agreed to popularise Vietnamese farm produce trademarks in the RoK, and pledged to import farm produce and processed food worth US$5.2 million between now and 2022, including fresh and frozen fruits, vegetables, beverages, and spices which will be distributed via Asian Mart chain and Korean distribution outlets.
The Vietnamese importers are also investing in logistics, cold storage and e-commerce to gradually navigate major supermarket chains such as Lotte, Emart, Home Plus and online retailers like Coupang and Gmarket.
The Trade Office and the Department of Asian – African Markets also vowed support to trade promotion activities in the RoK to increase export value.
At a conference held on June 18, TPS Farmers and Vinaka were also introduced to Hai Duong province’s prestigious lychee exporters. They are planning to bring Vietnamese frozen lychees to the RoK.