Hanoi (VNA) - Business connections and partnerships forged at the Vietnam International Sourcing Expo 2025 (VIS 2025) have paved the way for another Nordic business delegation to attend VIS 2026, highlighting the expo’s growing role in turning Vietnam-Nordic business links into concrete cooperation.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in 2025, a delegation of Nordic businesses organised by the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, which is also in charge of Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Latvia, undertook a nearly two-week business programme in Vietnam, with VIS serving as its centerpiece.
VIS 2025 enabled Nordic businesses to directly explore Vietnamese suppliers while facilitating deeper engagements with management agencies, localities, industry associations, seaports, factories and logistics partners. The programme showed that Vietnam-Nordic cooperation is expanding beyond trade to supply-chain development, investment, logistics and digital transformation.
In the fashion sector, H&M used VIS 2025 to discuss supplier development, renewable energy, emissions reduction and retail expansion with Vietnamese businesses and authorities. The group continues to view Vietnam as an important link in its global supply network and a promising consumer market.
Regarding logistics, working sessions between the Port of Gothenburg and Vietnamese seaports, shipping lines, exporters and logistics organisations turned the goal of direct Vietnam-Nordic transport connectivity into concrete cooperation. Memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed during and after the programme opened prospects for stronger port cooperation, green logistics development and research into direct maritime routes between Vietnam and the Nordic region.
The participation of IKEA and H&M also reflected growing Nordic interest in renewable materials, sustainable forest management, clean energy, circularity and traceability. These requirements are creating new standards for Vietnamese businesses while opening opportunities to upgrade technology, improve production efficiency and participate more deeply in global value chains.
Food products have also demonstrated the tangible commercial impact of VIS. Through previous editions of the expo, Swedish importers have sourced and brought a diverse range of Vietnamese products to the Swedish market, from bread, cassava, green papaya, frozen crab, and shrimp sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves to ST25 rice. The product portfolio has since expanded to include healthier options such as red rice, purple brown rice and upland glutinous rice.
These results showed that opportunities for Vietnamese food products in the Nordic market extend well beyond traditional export items. Processed foods, convenience foods, ingredients for restaurants and products reflecting Vietnam’s distinctive culinary identity all have strong growth potential when matched with the right partners and appropriately tailored to market demand.
VIS allows importers to directly test products and discuss packaging, specifications, prices and distribution channels, helping Vietnamese businesses better understand actual market demand.
Building on the foundation established in 2025, the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden will organise another Nordic business delegation to attend VIS 2026.
H&M will return for the second consecutive year. In the food sector, A Chau Lien Imports and Export AB, and East Asian Food AB will attend VIS for the third time, while Lagerqvist AB will participate for the first time. The return of previous participants reflects concrete results that have encouraged importers to continue seeking products and partners in Vietnam, while the participation of new businesses will expand opportunities for Vietnamese exports.
More businesses from a wide range of sectors are expected to join the programme.
The Trade Office's role extends beyond bringing businesses to the fair. Before the event, it assessed the demands of Nordic businesses, identified potential partners and connected them with suitable Vietnamese companies. During VIS, it organises B2B meetings, field visits and working sessions with authorities, associations, factories and logistics facilities. After the fair, it continues to support the exchange of documents and samples, product adjustments and follow-up contacts to help turn initial meetings into orders, projects and long-term partnerships.
VIS 2026 is scheduled to take place from September 3-5 in Ho Chi Minh City, featuring an exhibition, symposiums and direct business-matching activities involving Vietnamese businesses, international corporations, importers and distribution systems./.
