Vietnamese goods seek foothold in Thailand

Covering nearly 1,000sqm at CentralWorld shopping mall, the five-day Vietnamese Goods Week in Thailand 2022 has a total of 45 booths. It is expected to welcome 500,000 visitors.

More than 70 businesses are showcasing the best Vietnamese products to Thai consumers during the Vietnamese Goods Week in Thailand 2022 which is underway in Bangkok.

Hosted by Việt Nam's Ministry of Industry and Trade and Central Retail Vietnam, the event also saw the presence of Vietnamese President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.

Covering nearly 1,000sq.m at CentralWorld shopping mall, the five-day event has a total of 45 booths. It is expected to welcome 500,000 visitors.

The products are carefully selected to highlight innovation, natural and health-focused products, organic farming, efficient management with Blockchain technology, OCOP Elite product lines, and flagship products under the national programme and the circular economy, according to Central Retail Vietnam.

Among notable products include Vinamit’s organic foods, Mường Khương hot sauce, orange tea, Shiitake mushroom from Lào Cai Province-based Côi Việt Co, food and beverage from Dan On Foods and OCOP’s 4-star Macca nuts from Damaca Nguyên Phương JSC, it said.

In his speech at the event's opening ceremony on Thursday, Đỗ Thắng Hải, deputy minister of Industry and Trade, praised the significant development of bilateral cooperation between Việt Nam and Thailand, especially in the fields of economy, trade and tourism.

Thailand is now Việt Nam's largest economic partner in ASEAN. Meanwhile, Việt Nam is the second-largest economic partner of Thailand in ASEAN in 2021.

In the first ten months of 2022, two-way trade saw a positive rise of 22.8 per cent to US$17.8 billion compared to the same period of last year.

The two countries are striving to lift bilteral trade to $25 billion in the near future, Hải said.

Jariya Chirathivat, executive vice president of Business Development at Central Group and Chairwoman of Central Retail Vietnam, described the Vietnamese Goods Week in Thailand as a significant annual event for Central Retail Vietnam.

"This year, besides promoting the products of excellence coming from Việt Nam, the event is built under the inspiration of GO! Mall concept, a member of Central Retail Vietnam, with 39 active malls across the country. This concept introduces a remarkable shopping mall model that has been working well in Việt Nam," she said.

This is the 5th time the Vietnamese Goods Week in Thailand has taken place with the theme “Taste of Việt Nam. The event continues Central Retail Vietnam’s efforts to team up with the Vietnamese Government in promoting the best Vietnamese products to Thailand and other international markets.

To help Vietnamese goods approach and be exported to the distribution network of Central Group, Central Retail Vietnam has been cooperating with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to deploy market research, select enterprises with suitable products for the Thai market, organise practical training courses to improve capacity and the quality of goods, and assist in the development of tailored products for the Thai market.

Several Vietnamese businesses have successfully exported their products to the Central Group’s distribution channel in Thailand through Vietnamese Goods Week, such as MR. VIET, Bibica, Vifon, Trung Nguyên, Vinamit, Hải Bình, CHINSUFOODS, and Vietpepper.

Tiêu Trần Nghị, an export sales executive of HCM City-based DH Foods Co, said this was the second year his company had brought spice and seasoning products to Vietnamese Goods Week in Thailand.

"Thailand is known as the paradise of the fruits so it is a lucrative market for our company's products," Nghị told Việt Nam News.

He said the event will be a good opportunity for his company to better introduce its products to Thai customers.

After its success in penetrating 10 overseas markets including strict ones such as Japan and South Korea, Nghị said his company is striving to expand its presence in the Thai market.

In order to penetrate the Thai market and compete with other rivals there, Vietnamese enterprises should concentrate on building up their own trademarks, ensuring the quality of their products and gaining Thai certificates on food hygiene and safety, said Vũ Thanh Trúc, International Sales Manager of Vinamit JSC, which has successfully brought its dried fruits products to two Thai supermarket chains - Big C and Tops.

The firms should also focus on making their products' packaging more eye-catching if they want to lure the attention of local buyers, Trúc told Việt Nam News.

As part of the Vietnamese Goods Week in Thailand 2022, a business-matching conference to connect Vietnamese businesses with Central Group in Thailand’s retail affiliates and Thai importers was held the same day.

The conference enabled Vietnamese businesses to showcase their best products and establish connections with Thai partners.