Hanoi (VNA) – Participants in a recent trade promotion conference have underscored the importance of “Go Global", a programme assisting businesses to expand into international markets during 2026–2035, and gave recommendations to help Vietnamese firms strengthen their global presence.
The event, connected with Vietnam’s overseas trade offices via teleconferenceing, was held within the framework of the Autumn Fair 2025 in Hanoi.
Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said the domestic market is becoming increasingly limited, forcing Vietnamese enterprises to seek new growth spaces abroad.
Citing international experience, Phu noted that businesses in China, the Republic of Korea, or Japan embraced the “Go Global” mindset early. Even without extensive government support at the time, they actively pursued overseas expansion with determination and ambition.
Major markets such as the EU, the US, and China are tightening standards and imposing more barriers on imports, he added. To ensure sustainable exports and seize growth opportunities in the coming years, product quality remains the decisive factor.
Vietnam’s Trade Counsellor in China Nong Duc Lai said the world’s second-largest economy is expanding its external relations, particularly in trade and investment. China continues to add more sectors eligible for foreign investment, grant tariff preferences to many nations, with priority given to less developed ones, and open its market wider to agricultural and aquatic products.
In the first half of 2025, China approved imports of around 15 agricultural, forestry and fishery products from nearly 20 countries, including Cambodian durians, Malaysian coconuts, Ecuadorian mangoes, Gambian cashews, and seafood from New Zealand, Brazil and Kenya. This openness reflects both the opportunities and the fierce competition facing global exporters, Lai noted.
He said China’s stricter food safety rules require Vietnamese exporters to improve quality and traceability or risk losing registration codes.
Regarding the US market, Vietnam’s Trade Counsellor Do Ngoc Hung pointed out that tariffs and rules of origin remain major challenges, with trade defence investigations increasing.
To sustain export growth, he recommended accelerating trade agreement negotiations with the US, strengthening inter-ministry coordination to address policy impacts, and stepping up trade promotion and information sharing.
Trade Counsellor Cao Xuan Thang in Singapore highlighted the national strategy for logistics development to 2030, which aims to transform Vietnam into a regional logistics hub through infrastructure upgrades, digital transformation, green logistics, and workforce development. He emphasised that partnership with Singapore – a leader in smart logistics, port development and sustainable practices – will be crucial in this process.
Thang expressed confidence that enhanced business-to-business engagement between the two countries will help boost competitiveness and shared prosperity for both nations and the wider ASEAN region.
Meanwhile, Do Huu Tung, First Secretary of Vietnam’s Trade Office in New Zealand, reported that trade between Vietnam and New Zealand has grown strongly over the past five years, with a target of 3 billion USD by 2026.
Vietnam’s demand for high-quality products and services from New Zealand is rising, while the Southeast Asian country continues to export electronics and processed goods to the Oceanian market. Key cooperation areas include agro-forestry-fisheries, digital technology, the green economy, wood and building materials, tourism, and education.
Tung said the Autumn Fair 2025 was not only a major trade promotion event but also a vital platform connecting Vietnamese enterprises with international partners. The active participation of Vietnam’s trade offices abroad, including in New Zealand, and their efforts to support businesses' engagement in the event have helped elevate the event’s scale and international standing./.
