Promoting the development of Vietnam - Singapore Halal industry trade and reaching the global market

The conference was held in a combination of in-person and online formats. The conference was held in person at the Standards, Metrology and Quality Committee, Ministry of Science and Technology , and in person at the Singapore end. Other Vietnamese and Singaporean businesses participated online via the Zoom platform.

Image of the conference at the Vietnam bridge, Committee for Standards, Metrology and Quality, Ministry of Science and Technology. Photo STAMEQ

The conference is part of the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore's 2025 plan, focusing on supporting Vietnamese businesses to connect with each other, learn about local regulations on Halal products, promote trade, and support Vietnamese businesses to access and expand the export market of Vietnamese goods to Singapore and the Muslim community market. The conference also introduced Vietnam's potential advantages in producing Halal products, contributing to attracting foreign investment in industries related to Halal certification, such as: joint ventures between businesses of the two countries, cross-border recognition of Halal certification, freight transport, logistics, import and export, etc. This is also one of the activities to deepen and concretize the contents of economic cooperation in the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Singapore.

The conference was attended by Mr. Tran Phuoc Anh, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Singapore; Mr. Nguyen Thien Nghia, Vice Chairman of the Standards, Metrology and Quality Committee; Mr. Alvin Lee Han Eng, CEO of Maybank; Mr. Muhd Faizad Othman, Director of Halal Development, Islamic Religious Council of Singapore; Ms. Dewi Hartaty Suratty, CEO, Down Horizon.

Ambassador Tran Phuoc Anh delivered the opening speech at the conference.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Ambassador Tran Phuoc Anh said that over the years, the Vietnam-Singapore relationship has always developed positively. Notably, in March 2025, Vietnam and Singapore upgraded their bilateral relationship to the highest level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Singapore is Vietnam's fourth largest trading partner in ASEAN.

In 2024, the total import-export turnover between Vietnam and Singapore will reach a record of 31.67 billion SGD, an increase of 9.49% compared to 2023. Of which, Halal products will contribute an important part. Experts assess that Halal is a potential trend in the future, for the domestic market of Singapore and taking advantage of the transit role of the Singapore market to other Muslim countries. The Vietnamese Government has assessed the important role of the Halal market. In 2023, the Prime Minister issued a Decision approving the Project "Strengthening international cooperation to build and develop Vietnam's Halal industry by 2030", with specific directions, goals and implementation solutions. Ambassador Tran Phuoc Anh commented that Singapore is a country with a lot of experience in developing the trade sector, including trade in Halal products. Singapore has a very good Halal certification system and is widely recognized by Muslim countries such as Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and other major trading partners such as UAE, Australia, Europe and the US. With these advantages, Singapore is an ideal gateway for Halal products to penetrate the markets of major Muslim countries through its highly developed logistics infrastructure and financial system for international trade.

Speaking at the conference, Dr. Nguyen Thien Nghia, Vice Chairman of the General Department of Standards, Metrology and Quality, affirmed that the “Vietnam – Singapore Halal Trade Conference 2025” is a meaningful event in the context of the ASEAN region actively promoting economic links and exploiting new market potentials. Halal is not only a religious requirement but has now become a global standard for quality, reliability and sustainability. He also shared that the Vietnamese Government has identified the development of the Halal industry as one of the important directions in the strategy of diversifying export markets and increasing the added value of Vietnamese products. Vietnam has taken important steps in building a legal corridor and a system of standards to serve the Halal industry. As a national standards body, STAMEQ is committed to continuing to accompany businesses, certification organizations and domestic and foreign partners to create a favorable environment for the sustainable development of the Halal economy in Vietnam.

Mr. Cao Xuan Thang, Commercial Counselor, Head of Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore shared information about the global Halal market, the growing trend of this market in Muslim countries, some challenges and opportunities for businesses to penetrate the global Halal market.

Mr. Thang also provided information on import and export of the Singapore market, the demand of the international market and Singapore for Halal products, and Vietnam's strong export products to the area. In addition, he also emphasized the opportunities for Vietnamese and Singaporean enterprises in trade cooperation, taking advantage of Vietnam's manufacturing country and Singapore's trade center advantages, and the advantages of new generation FTAs of which Vietnam and Singapore are both members, to penetrate the markets of Muslim countries.

Mr. Muhamad Azzad Ahmad, Head of Islamic CFS, Maybank, highlighted some key points in driving growth in the Halal ecosystem. Halal regulations and trade requirements when importing into Singapore were shared in detail by Mr. Muhamad Faizal Othman, Director of Halal Development (MUIS).

At the conference, Ms. Dewi Hartaty Suratty, CEO of Down Horizon, presented that the Halal industry has entered a new phase, driven by ethical consumerism, digital transformation and the emergence of ASEAN as a halal trading hub, businesses need to understand this and stay one step ahead. At the conference, Dawn Horizon highlighted that these changes are opening up new opportunities across the region. Ms. Dewi also introduced several AI-powered platforms that make Halal compliance simpler and more efficient. Countries need to promote Halal business growth and strengthen ASEAN’s position as a trusted Halal ecosystem leader.

The conference attracted more than 170 Vietnamese and Singaporean partners to register online and in person at locations in Vietnam and Singapore. Participating businesses included manufacturers, consulting firms, trading companies, standard certification organizations, food processing enterprises, agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, consumer goods, packaging and press agencies.

The large participation of the Vietnamese and Singaporean business community, along with the press agencies, shows that the need for information on the Halal industry is a topic of interest to many businesses and organizations. The content of the Conference is also widely published so that Vietnamese businesses can refer to it in the process of developing export markets to Singapore and Muslim countries.

During the discussion, many questions related to Halal regulations of Vietnam and Singapore were answered. Many opinions were exchanged and discussed to help Vietnamese enterprises better understand the local Halal regulations when exporting goods to Singapore.

At the end of the Conference, at the direct connection points, Vietnamese and Singaporean enterprises made trade connections and sought cooperation opportunities. Singaporean partners expressed their hope that in the coming time, they will be able to implement many cooperation contents with Vietnam in the field of Halal, and wished that the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore and the Organizing Committee would support the business delegation from Singapore to Vietnam to learn about industrial investment, trade and services in the field of Halal.

Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/thi-truong-nuoc-ngoai/thuc-day-phat-trien-thuong-mai-nganh-cong-nghiep-halal-viet-nam-singapore-va-vuon-toi-thi-truong-toan-cau.html

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