Hanoi (VNA) – More than 60 Chilean enterprises have expressed interest in importing Vietnamese products, particularly rice, dried fruit, coffee, frozen seafood, and instant foods, during the international food and services fair “Espacio Food & Service 2025” held in Santiago de Chile.
The fair, from September 30 to October 2, attracted nearly 40,000 visitors, including importers, distributors, hotel and restaurant representatives, and experts in the South American food and beverage industry.
Covering 34,442 sq.m with more than 1,400 booths, the fair brought together thousands of enterprises showcasing products, processing technologies, packaging solutions, and participating in business-to-business (B2B) networking and specialised seminars.
Vietnam made an active showing with a national pavilion featuring products from around 50 domestic firms. Exhibits included rice, coffee, dried fruit, fruit juice, spices, instant noodles, as well as handicrafts and kitchenware, with the aim of promoting product quality and seeking deeper penetration into the South American market.
The keen attention of Chilean importers is seen as a positive sign amid robust bilateral trade growth. According to Chile’s National Customs Service, trade between Vietnam and Chile reached 1.22 billion USD in the first eight months of 2025, up 22.3% year-on-year. Of this, Chile imported more than 1 billion USD worth of Vietnamese goods, a surge of 28.5%, while its exports to Vietnam stood at 204 million USD, down 1.5%.
Vietnam is currently Chile’s 12th largest supplier, accounting for 1.8% of its import market, up from 1.4% in 2024. Vietnam’s main exports include machinery, phones, footwear, computers, apparel, and rice.
Several product groups have posted remarkable growth this year such as optical fibre and cables rose over 264%, machinery and equipment 149%, vehicles and spare parts 142%, refrigerators and freezers 126%, and rice 91.7%. Footwear and garments also maintained double-digit growth, underscoring the strong potential of Vietnamese goods in the Chilean market./.
