Malaysia News Gazette

Hanoi: Nearly 100 one-on-one business meetings between Vietnamese importers and enterprises from Gyeongbuk and Chungbuk provinces of the Republic of Korea (RoK) have been arranged during a recent trade exchange programme in Hanoi, said the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency in Hanoi (KOTRA Hanoi).

The participating firms shared the view that the event offered an opportunity for them to engage in new cooperation in the post-COVID-19 recovery period.

They brought to the event high-quality products, including cosmetics, fresh fruits, fruit juice, functional foods, medicines, dental equipment and electronics.

The programme was the inaugural RoK-Vietnam trade event of 2024.

Nearly 50 trade delegations and exhibitions are scheduled this year, said Tran Thi Hai Yen, head of the KOTRA Hanoi Office.

KOTRA Hanoi has been instrumental in facilitating numerous trade events between Vietnamese enterprises and Korean firms annually, with the objective of promoting the entry of the RoK’s high-quality products into
the Vietnamese market and fortifying economic ties between the two nations./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: The second Vietnam International Logistics Exhibition (VILOG) will be held in Ho Chi Minh City from August 1 to 3, said the Vietnam Logistics Business Association (VLA).

The exhibition, to be co-organised by the VLA and VINEXAD Company, will bring together domestic and international logistics firms, representatives from government agencies, and other stakeholders, and display the most cutting-edge technologies and trends in the sector.

It will focus on transport and forwarding, warehouse system, cold chain, packaging, and logistics IT and relevant services.

The Vietnam Medi-Pharm Expo will be held simultaneously with VILOG 2024, expected to attract the participation of more than 450 businesses from 35 countries and territories.

Organisers said VILOG 2023 lured 256 firms with 354 booths from 22 countries and territories, and more than 25,000 visitors.

Logistics is one of the fastest growing and most stable industries in Vietnam, with an average growth rate of 14-16% a year and a scale of 40-42 bill
ion USD per year. According to Agility’s assessment in 2022. Vietnam is ranked 11th in the group of 50 global emerging logistics markets./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

HCM City: The Asian markets, especially Southeast Asia and Middle East, still hold vast potential for Vietnamese vegetable and fruit exports, experts said at a forum regarding the goods held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 13.

Le Thi Mai Anh from the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Asia-Pacific Market Department – the organiser of the forum – elaborated on the point by noting that in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, Vietnam holds a geographical advantage with convenient transport time, minimising risks that could affect the quality of vegetables and fruits. This is also a large and open market, with import duties ranging from 0 to 5%.

Nevertheless, the region presents intense competition due to the similarity in farming product structures and numerous trade barriers. Focusing solely on exporting fresh fruits will pose challenges for Vietnam, she assessed, suggesting export firms concentrate on quality, price, and design to enhance competitiveness and expand market share.

Truong Xuan
Trung, head of the Vietnam Trade Office in the UAE, said that despite being a small country with a sparse population, the UAE boasts one of the highest per capita incomes globally. Due to its unique natural conditions, the nation primarily focuses on industrial and service development, while heavily relying on imported food and grains. It also serves as a transshipment point for re-exporting goods to other markets.

He held that Vietnamese vegetable and fruit exporters can leverage this market to access larger consumer areas.

According to him, this is an open market with virtually no trade barriers, but is highly competitive. The expert recommended Vietnamese export enterprises work on understanding the business culture and practices of the Muslim population, as well as negotiating and applying the safest payment terms when dealing with UAE businesses to avoid risks in international trade.

Le Thanh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Quality, Processing
and Market Development, stressed that in addition to production capacity, Vietnam also benefits from dozens of free trade agreements, facilitating negotiations for various vegetable and fruit products to enter different markets.

It is necessary to organise production according to good agricultural practices suitable for each type of fruit and vegetable to meet customer requirements and to standardise the planting process to ensure the monitoring of food safety risks from planting, caring, harvesting to processing, said the official.

Supply chains building, mechanisation, and advanced technique application are also important, Hoa noted.

Vietnam’s fruit-vegetable export turnover reached a new record high of 5.6 billion USD last year, an annual rise of 66.7%. The figure is predicted to continue to witness year-on-year two-digit growth this year to hit around 6.5-7 billion USD./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Vietnam’s wood and forestry sector is aiming to export 15.2 billion USD worth of its products this year, an increase from the 14.47 billion USD last year which was down 15.4% from 2022.

According to the Department of Forestry, the fundamental reason of the last year’s fall is that consumers reduced their spending on non-essential items such as wood and wood products to deal with rising prices caused by geopolitical crises.

In addition, several businesses saw value-added tax refunds delayed, making it harder for them to raise finance for manufacturing, while some wood processing companies had to reduce the scope of their output and exports.

However, the opportunity to expand and develop market share is extensive with the world’s furniture market being estimated at 405 billion USD a year; import demand for wood and wood products is 230 billion USD, while Vietnam’s export turnover of these products accounts for just over 6%.

Free trade agreements (FTAs) to which Vietnam is a signatory remain a leverag
e for the industry to go far, according to experts.

In the first two months of this year, the export value of the sector reached 2.68 billion USD, up 47.4% over the same period in 2023; and the import value, 355 million USD, up 31%.

To meet the aforementioned export targets, the sector is enhancing its efforts and developing essential solutions in technological innovation, raw material utilisation, production, and product distribution./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Vietnamese agricultural products have more opportunities to hit the shelves of Japanese supermarket chain Aeon as Aeon Topvalu will attend the Vietnam International Sourcing 2024 event to be held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) on June 6-8 in Ho Chi Minh City.

On the threshold of the event, General Director of Aeon TopValu Vietnam Shiotani Yuichiro had a working session with the MoIT’s European – American Market Department, saying he has a great expectation when joining the sourcing fair.

There is a great demand for Vietnamese agricultural products and processed products in the markets where Aeon is present, he said, adding through last year’s event, Aeon TopValu found suppliers for its supermarket chain in China, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Along with persuading its purchasers from China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam to engage in the event, Aeon TopValu will continue joining hands with the MoIT to organise the Vietnamese Products Week in Japan in 2024, providing more chances for
Vietnamese goods to break into Japan – the No.1 fastidious market in Asia, he said.

The purchasers want to seek Vietnamese producers who are able to meet Aeon’s criteria and standards to become the retailer’s sustainable suppliers not only for its supermarkets in Vietnam but also its system across the globe, according to the Aeon representative.

The event aims to promote direct linkages between Vietnamese manufacturing and exporting enterprises with foreign retail distribution networks and importers. It includes a series of workshops, seminars, business matching activities, and an exhibition called ‘Vietnam International Sourcing Expo’.

This is annual premier sourcing fair in Vietnam, bringing together the leading manufacturers and exporters in the country./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Hanoi’s concentrated promotion programme, slated for May, July, and November this year with discount of up to 100%, expects the engagement of 1,000-2,000 businesses from all economic sectors, according to the city Department of Industry and Trade.

The department said that along with meeting shopping demands of locals, the programme aims to provide chances for businesses to sell their products and reduce inventories, thus promoting production and business activities, contributing to boosting the city’s socio-economic development.

The programme will start on April 30, featuring 100 booths with promotion from 30-100%.

In November, the programme will take place in all localities across the capital city, with about 800-1,000 venues. Various events have been planned within the programme’s framework, including a Hanoi shopping festival and Hanoi Mega Sale events.

The highlight of the programme in November is the Hanoi Midnight Sales 2024 and Black Friday events from November 29-30 with the involvement of
200 businesses, trade centres, supermarkets, and business facilities.

The programme is expected to connect supply and demand, promote domestic consumption and boost sales revenue for businesses, thus increasing the retail sales of products and revenue./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Celebrating the anniversary of its first flight to Australia with six routes, Vietjet offers the biggest promotions of the year to express gratitude to passengers.

Accordingly, from now until March 17, 2024, Vietjet offers thousands of Eco tickets priced from zero Vietnamese dong, excluding taxes and fees, on the website www.vietjetair.com and the Vietjet Air mobile app for all routes connecting Vietnam and Australia, including the new Hanoi – Melbourne route, together with routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne.

Especially, passengers book Eco tickets to fly between Vietnam and Australia from now until April 8 will be presented a 20kg of checked baggage and a delicious organic hot meal by Vietjet.

In addition, passengers who wish to fly with the premium Business and SkyBoss tickets book tickets on the carrier’s website, Vietjet Air mobile app, authorised agents of Vietjet and apply the promo code HAPPYBDAY50 to enjoy an immediate 50% discount on tic
ket prices.

The promotion is applicable for Business and SkyBoss tickets on direct flights between Vietnam and Australia, as well as flights between Australia and Mumbai, New Delhi, Kochi, Tiruchirappalli, and Ahmedabad in India. With attractive benefits, passengers flying with Vietjet have more choices to experience convenient travel with Business and SkyBoss seats, enjoy green cuisines, and receive priority services from the ground to the sky, with flexible flight times from now to May 31.

Joining Vietjet, passenger can experience happy flights with the modern, eco-friendly wide-body fleet, professional and dedicated cabin crews, and enjoy exquisite Vietnamese and international cuisines such as Pho Thin, Vietnamese Banh mi, etc.. Moreover, Vietjet offers free Sky Care travel insurance for all passengers, and the SkyJoy loyalty programme to accumulate points for rewards./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency