Several domestic companies are exporting a variety of traditional Tet goods for the Vietnamese community abroad.
Tran Thanh Toan, owner of Tran Gia establishment, which produces banh chung (square glutinous rice cakes) in southern Dong Nai province, has signed contracts to export 35 tonnes of banh chung to the EU, Asia, Australia and other markets ahead of the holiday. He also plans to export about five tonnes of dong (phrynium) leaves for wrapping banh chung.
A representative of the Hai Minh Company in HCM City's Cu Chi District said his company had already shipped several consignments of banh trang (griddle cakes), banh da (rice pancakes), cu kieu (pickled scallion heads) and other common Tet foods to several countries.
The French-owned Big C supermarket exported four containers of dried and frozen foodstuffs as well as Tet specialties to supermarkets in France, Brazil, Thailand and other countries that belong to its owner, the Casino Group.
The exported products include griddle cakes, dried vermicelli, noodles, teas, soya sauce, fish sauce, dried fruits, shrimp crackers, frozen sugpo prawns, spring rolls, ha cao (a kind of Chinese dumpling), crab meat and potato shrimp roll.
Many Vietnamese goods have been exported to Casino Group branches since 1997, a company representative said, adding that the exports totalled 20 million USD last year.
Other companies, including Vinamit Joint Stock Company, Tan Dong Trade Production Co and Huong Canh Co, are filling export orders for Tet goods.
In order for the country to maintain a high export rate, food hygiene and safety must be a top priority during the production process as well as in preservation and transport, Toan and other producers said.
Several local food export company owners hope to earn reputations for quality during the holiday period so they can increase exports throughout the year.-VNA
