Vietnamese trade offices abroad are like economic "ambassadors", "extended arms" that help Vietnamese brands go further, thereby spreading and promoting the image of Vietnam, contributing to bringing foreign currency to the country...
The world 's commodity export center
About 15 years ago, a Vietnamese man traveled to Europe, went to a large shopping mall in the Netherlands, and bought a set of sportswear and accessories from a world-famous brand as a gift for his relatives. But later, his family discovered that the goods were… “Made in Vietnam”. This story was told and retold many times on social media at that time because it was “so surprising”!
About 10 years ago, when “Made in Japan” goods were still considered a symbol of quality, many economic experts and businessmen expressed their hope that one day, the words “Made in Vietnam” would be equally trusted globally.
In fact, with the correct policy of international integration in general and economic integration in particular of our Party and State, “Made in Vietnam” products have gone all over the world, present in over 200 countries and territories. Vietnam has become the destination of multinational companies. Luxury fashion brands or high-tech products of the world’s leading companies and corporations do not hesitate to label their products as “Made in Vietnam”.
After a period of steadfastly pursuing the open-door economic development policy, Vietnam has been named in the top 30 countries and territories with the largest export value of goods in the world. Vietnam has also become the most open economy in the world, the trade balance of goods has improved, gradually shifting from a trade deficit to a stable trade surplus for many consecutive years. This is considered a miracle because before this period, the trade deficit had always "recurred" for many years.
Specifically, since Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2006, economic diplomacy has made efforts to seek resources for the country's economic development, contributing to expanding export markets... helping the country continuously achieve a high trade surplus.
A recent WTO statistics on world trade shows that among the 50 countries with the largest merchandise trade in the world, Vietnam has the largest growth rate, moving from 39th place in 2009 to 23rd place just 10 years later (2019). In 2023, although import and export turnover decreased in line with the general global context, the trade balance continued to maintain its position for the 8th consecutive year, with a very large surplus of up to 28 billion USD.
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Mr. Ta Hoang Linh. |
“4-party” cooperation model
“Exporting Vietnamese rice to Europe is not new, however, bringing Vietnamese branded rice to the shelves of large distribution systems in France is extremely meaningful. Because with nearly 600 hypermarkets and hundreds of small supermarkets throughout France, E.Leclerc is one of the largest retail systems in this country and Europe. That result affirms the effectiveness of the “4-party” cooperation model: Trade Office - Foreign distribution channel - Locality - Export enterprise”
Mr. Ta Hoang Linh - Director of Europe - America Market Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade)
The expansion of export markets so that “Made in Vietnam” goods can be more and more present in the world has also achieved certain results. If in 2014, Vietnam only had 27 export markets with a turnover of over 1 billion USD (of which 3 markets had over 10 billion USD, including the US, China, Japan), then nearly 10 years later - in 2022, there were 33 export markets with a turnover of over 1 billion USD, of which 6 markets had a turnover of over 10 billion USD, 16 markets had over 5 billion USD...
Mr. Truong Dinh Tuyen - former Minister of Trade, who left many marks in the process of negotiating Vietnam's accession to the WTO - once shared that, in the new international context, major countries all want to promote their influence on other countries according to the doctrine of "soft power" and "soft borders". One of the elements of "soft power" and "soft borders" is the penetration of goods and the domination of the market by businesses and goods.
In this respect, Vietnam has been expanding its national “soft borders”. Economic diplomacy and our system of Trade Offices abroad are increasingly demonstrating their roles.
Vietnamese brands "permeate" deeply into the lives of local people
Not only has Vietnam been successful in expanding its “soft borders”, it is also focusing on positioning its national brand by promoting Vietnamese-branded goods in major distribution systems in many countries. Such as the rice products under the brand name “Com Vietnam rice” of Loc Troi Group (An Giang) or the specialty spices of DHFoods and the sauces of Cholimex - “purely Vietnamese” businesses have gradually appeared more and more in major distribution systems in France such as Carrefour and E.Leclerc supermarkets.
Speaking to reporters of the Vietnam Law Newspaper, Mr. Vu Anh Son - Commercial Counselor in the Republic of France said that foreign retail chains are direct suppliers of goods to end consumers in the host country. With that characteristic, this market segment is the most difficult to conquer. However, if successful, it will be pioneering, have a positive impact on the Vietnamese business community, creating a premise for businesses to move towards producing value-added goods and have a sustainable development plan.
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Mr. Vu Anh Son - Commercial Counselor in the French Republic (2nd left) at a trade event in France. |
“Those of us who work in the Trade Office are well aware that bringing Vietnamese goods to foreign distribution chains so that they can be sold in host countries, to local consumers, under the Vietnamese brand is an effective, sustainable and important method in building a national brand. From there, we can position Vietnam in the minds of local consumers,” Mr. Vu Anh Son shared.
Regarding this issue, Mr. Ta Hoang Linh - Director of the European - American Market Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) also said that exporting Vietnamese rice to Europe is not a new task, however, bringing Vietnamese branded rice to the shelves of large distribution systems in France is a very meaningful achievement. Because with nearly 600 hypermarkets and hundreds of small supermarkets throughout France, E.Leclerc is one of the largest retail systems in this country and Europe. That result is not only a big step forward in foreign trade activities but also affirms the effectiveness of the "4-party" cooperation model: Trade Office - Foreign distribution channel - Locality - Export enterprise.
Similarly, Vietnamese lychees entering the supermarket system in the US also demonstrate the tireless efforts of the Vietnam Trade Office in this country. Mr. Do Ngoc Hung - Head of the Vietnam Trade Office in the US added that Vietnamese lychees have been sold in many markets in the US, but mostly to Asian consumers. Only when the goods enter the supermarket system can they reach the local people.
The most difficult part of the journey to bring lychees into major US supermarket chains such as Costco, Safeway, Albertsons is the irradiation process as required by the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), while in Vietnam there is only an irradiation facility in Ho Chi Minh City. Therefore, the Vietnam Trade Office in the US had to negotiate with APHIS to approve Vietnam to add another trading partner and sign an agreement with APHIS during the process of approving the irradiation facility for the product.
“Bringing Vietnamese lychees to the US market is a challenging process but it has great potential. These are important developments in promoting agricultural trade cooperation between the two countries, paving the way for other potential fruits of Vietnam to penetrate the US market in the future. Increasing the output of lychees exported to this market not only opens up great opportunities for Vietnamese farmers but also demonstrates the close cooperation between agencies, governments and businesses of the two countries,” affirmed Mr. Do Ngoc Hung - Head of the Vietnam Trade Office in the US. (To be continued)
Mobilizing finance and technology for agricultural products to go to the US
The Vietnam Trade Office in the US has mobilized a number of fruit import-export enterprises and logistics companies to agree to contribute financially to the trust fund to facilitate the approval process of irradiation facilities. In addition, it has also mobilized import enterprises to bring Israeli experts to Vietnam to test a number of optimal post-harvest preservation methods, helping to extend the preservation time of fresh lychees during irradiation treatment and transportation. From there, the lychees have a smoother journey to the US market.
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/thuong-vu-viet-nam-noi-dai-bien-gioi-mem-quoc-gia-bai-1-bac-cau-van-dam-cho-hang-viet-nam-post523047.html
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