Vietnamese and Thai instant noodles are popular in Japan

After becoming widely known during the pandemic, instant noodles imported from Vietnam and Thailand are increasingly popular among Japanese people.

At an Asian food market in Tokyo's Shin-Okubo district, instant noodles with foreign characters printed on their packaging are prominently displayed near the entrance. "About 80 percent of customers buy instant noodles," said a store manager.

Japan's Ministry of Finance statistics show that instant noodle imports from other parts of Asia will reach about 8.6 billion yen ($57.6 million at current exchange rates) in 2022, 3.1 times higher than in 2017.

About 80% of imports come from South Korea, including Nongshim’s spicy Shin Ramyun. Instant noodles from Southeast Asia are growing significantly. Imports from Vietnam are expected to total about 500 million yen ($3.35 million) by 2022, 5.6 times more than in 2017. Meanwhile, imports from Thailand are expected to nearly double to 510 million yen ($3.41 million).

Vietnamese instant noodles and pho sold at Aeon supermarket in Kansai, Osaka in June 2021. Photo: Vietnam Trade Office in Osaka

Instant noodles were invented in Japan six decades ago and have become increasingly popular around the world. In recent years, in addition to domestic and Korean products, instant noodles imported from Southeast Asia have become increasingly popular. Part of the reason is that Covid-19 has prevented Japanese people from traveling abroad. At that time, they decided to buy instant noodles from Vietnam or Thailand to experience the experience after only 5 minutes of preparation.

Realizing that Southeast Asian flavors were well received, Japanese companies that produced instant noodles overseas began importing the product into Japan after a period of selling only in the market where their factories were located.

Acecook entered Vietnam in 1993 and is now the largest instant noodle manufacturer here, with a market share of about 40%. Since 2018, they have started importing and selling a full range of Hao Hao noodles produced in Vietnam in Japan.

The company initially targeted Vietnamese people living in Japan, but Japanese people have also started buying Hao Hao. By 2022, annual sales had tripled. Recently, the company has received more requests for instant noodles from major imported food stores.

"Demand for authentic Asian food is increasing instead of products that suit Japanese tastes," said an Acecook representative. Following the popularity of Hao Hao, the company will start importing instant noodles under the brand name "Thai Hotpot Noodles" from November.

Previously, in July, Nissin Foods launched Tom Yum soup-flavored instant noodles produced by its Thai subsidiary in the Japanese market. "We got the idea from instant noodles from Thai manufacturers sold in imported food stores or online shopping sites in Japan," said a company representative.

In April, Ajinomoto also began selling Tom Yum-flavored YumYum noodles for a limited time in the Japanese market. The product is manufactured by its Thai subsidiary. In Thailand, YumYum has a market share of more than 20%. After conducting a survey, Ajinomoto is considering selling the product year-round in Japan.

Travel restrictions during the pandemic have pushed global instant noodle demand to a record 121.2 billion packets in 2022, up 2.6% from 2021, according to the World Instant Noodles Association. The China-Hong Kong market remains the leading market, followed by Indonesia, Vietnam, India and Japan.

Instant noodles were first produced in Japan in 1958. Momofuku Ando, founder of Nissin Foods, came up with the idea when the country was struggling with food shortages after World War II.

By 1971, the company launched the world's first cup noodles. With different flavors to suit each market, instant noodles in general, including packets and cups, spread throughout the world.

Phien An ( thei Nikkei )

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