Efforts made to strengthen presence of Vietnamese products in foreign retail

Hanoi (VNA) – A number of Vietnamese goods weeks have been held abroad this year, with the aim to offer Vietnamese firms a chance to directly export goods to big foreign distribution systems, such as Big C, Aeon, Lotte, and Emart.

A Vietnam goods and tourism week was recently organised at the Central World Trade centre in the Thai capital of Bangkok, drawing over 15,000 visitors.

Vice Director of the Hanoi Centre for Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion Nguyen Thi Mai Anh said that the centre coordinated with the Central Group in order to select products and enterprises for the event that were most suitable to the Thai market.

Throughout the week, many Hanoi firms signed contracts with new partners. After the event, Central Group’s purchase teams will visit Vietnam to explore the Vietnamese market and work with specific firms, thus putting Vietnamese goods into the group’s retail system in Vietnam, Thailand, as well as the world.

According to Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai, a recently approved and implemented project, hoping to encourage Vietnamese businesses to directly engage in foreign distribution systems by 2020, has benefited both producers and distributors.

For Vietnamese enterprises, directly joining foreign distribution networks will help them to gain a better understanding of customers’ demand and quality management, thus working towards meeting the export standards of world-leading brands, while also  being presented with more opportunities to develop their trademarks.

For distributors, directly meeting with Vietnamese enterprises will help them diversify their sources, thus improving the quality of their products, especially in the agro-forestry-fishery sector.

Le Thi Mai Linh, Executive Vice President of the Department of Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility at Central Group Vietnam, said that the group hopes to sell more Vietnamese products around the world through the Big C supermarket system.

However, many Vietnamese products have yet to meet international standards or lack the conditions to make their presence felt at foreign distribution systems.

In order to implement the project in an effective and systematic manner, it is necessary to foster coordination among relevant parties, as well as strengthen the efforts of enterprises in improving the quality and competiveness of their products.

Meanwhile, businesses should actively seek market information and join trade promotion activities to introduce Vietnamese products and bring them into foreign distribution networks in a stable and sustainable manner. –VNA