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Enterprises discuss with international partners at HCM City Expo 2023. Photo: N.H

Reach new customers

Last weekend, the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) was crowded with domestic and foreign customers at the HCMC Export Fair - HCM City Expo 2023. Among them were thousands of customers from the USA, Korea, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Pakistan.

Chung Tan Quoc Tuan, in charge of import and export of Thao Nguyen Foods Company, said that the company specializes in the production of traditional Vietnamese bakery products such as congee cake, quart cake, green bean cake, fried banana, etc., frozen and exported to the US and European markets.

Previously, the company exported about two containers per month on average, but since the pandemic, the number of orders has decreased sharply. Currently, there is only one container/month. Tuan hopes to find new customers at this fair to revive the company's production activities.

Although the overall export situation has been declining sharply since the end of 2022, at fairs, exhibitions and trade promotions, many positive results have been recorded. Typically, at the Vifa Expo 2023 fair held in March, the organizers said that businesses participating in the fair had signed orders and cooperation minutes with a total value of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Not only domestic fairs, Vietnamese enterprises also recorded many positive signals by participating in international fairs abroad. Typically, at Thaifex Anuga 2023 Fair last week in Thailand, the booths of Vietnamese enterprises made a very good impression on international customers. After listening to the introduction of the non-dipped rice paper product of Tan Nhien Co., Ltd. (Tay Ninh), a representative of the Department of International Trade Promotion, the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand evaluated this product as very suitable for the Thailand market, especially in areas where many Vietnamese live and work.

Dang Khanh Duy, General Director of Tan Nhien Company, said that the company's products are currently being exported to Korea, Japan, and the US and are fully capable of supplying the Thai market with an output of up to 10 million USD to over 4 tons/day.

Meanwhile, Ha Tien Phuoc, Marketing Manager of Lai Phu Joint Stock Company, said that after letting customers try and experience the product, the company had received very good feedback. “Korean and Indian customers are very interested in fruit puddings, fruit ice cream cookies. Meanwhile, European customers want to cooperate in producing juice products with aloe vera or coconut jelly. In addition, some guests also want to use more pearl jelly for water. Some Filipino guests are interested in Vietnam-specific fruit juices such as lychee coconut jelly, passion fruit juice with coconut jelly, melon juice with coconut jelly,” Phuoc shared.

Pham Dinh Ngai, CEO of Sokfarm Coconut Nectar Company, also said that this is the second time attending Thaifex Anuga. Sokfarm's goal in this event is to reconnect partners from Thaifex 2022 and introduce the company's new product lines, concentrated coconut nectar and fermented soy sauce products from coconut nectar. In addition, Sokfarm also wants to learn more about consumer trends and the machines, equipment and technology to produce qualified products.

Opening the export route through "online market"

Speaking at the conference to connect export market information over the weekend, Huynh Kim Tuoc, co-chair of the Digital Economy and Technology Subcommittee under the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham), made many remarkable news.

Accordingly, besides being in the Top 20 largest export markets in the world, on the basis of cross-border business, Vietnam is also at the top of the leading countries and is continuing to grow. Specifically, according to information published by Amazon (USA), in 2022 Amazon will increase the number of Vietnamese sales partners by more than 80% on its platform, most of which are small and medium enterprises. In particular, according to Tuoc, Amazon is not unique because there are other technology companies with such good growth, even 3-digit growth. This has helped more and more Vietnamese enterprises export millions of dollars through "online markets".

Statistics show more than 11,500 foreign investment projects in Ho Chi Minh City and many foreign trade agencies in the area. Therefore, according to the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, the city has the strength of being a convergence and connection of export supply chains. However, according to Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, enterprises have yet to be able to effectively exploit the advantages of free trade agreements with many incentives for production and export. Enterprises' understanding of green consumer demand, conditions and regulations for imported goods of major markets, sustainable production standards, etc. is still limited.

Therefore, in the near future, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade will coordinate with AmCham to organize specific training sessions on e-commerce, and step-by-step instructions for businesses to achieve international standards.

From the perspective of a fairly successful export enterprise, Nguyen Dinh Tung, Chairman of Vina T&T Group, said that one of the core values for a successful enterprise is quality and brand. In order to conquer the international market, enterprises must build a large enough material area, have specific products compared to goods of the same type in the world and suitable for importing countries, and importers.

Enterprises need to build a technical team, and closely work with farmers to build a sustainable chain of links throughout the process from selecting varieties, cultivating to harvesting, ensuring quality and output that meet export standards as well as export standards as the trend of green and sustainable agriculture.