Conference seeks ways to step up food exports to African market
A Vietnam-Africa online trade exchange conference was held on June 14 by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade in collaboration with Vietnam Trade Offices in African countries, aiming to help Vietnamese businesses, localities and cooperatives seek partnerships to boost food exports to the African market.
Rice is the major export product of Vietnam to Africa. Illustrative image (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – A Vietnam-Africaonline trade exchange conference was held on June 14 by the Vietnam Trade PromotionAgency (Vietrade) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade in collaborationwith Vietnam Trade Offices in African countries, aiming to help Vietnamesebusinesses, localities and cooperatives seek partnerships to boost foodexports to the African market.
According to Vietrade Vice Director NguyenThi Thu Thuy, African countries' demand for food, especially rice, ishigh and diverse. She underlined Vietnam’s opportunities to provide many foodproducts to the nearly 1.4-million-strong market.
Statistics showed that in the first fivemonths of 2022, Vietnam shipped 2.38 million USD worth of the products toAlgeria. Rice was the major export product of Vietnam to Africa, whichaccounted for 20 percent of total export revenue generated from the market,which is also a promising land for Vietnamese coffee and peppercorn.
Each year, African countries spend about750 million USD on importing coffee, said Thuy, noting that Vietnam has beenone of the five major suppliers of the product in Africa.
Hoang Duc Nhuan, Vietnamese Trade Councilor in Algeria, said that Vietnamesecoffee is accounting for 50 percent of market share in the country. However, Vietnam isfacing fierce competition from China, Thailand, India, Pakistan and othercountries that have signed free trade agreements with Algeria. The situation issimilar in other markets in the African region, he said.
Nhuan held that high logistics costs are a big problem for Vietnam, along withdifferences in consumers’ habits and quality standards.
Tran Hung Cuong from the Vietnamese Trade Office in Nigeria said that in thefirst five months of this year, Vietnam earned 62.94 million USD from theNigerian market, up 10.3 percent year on year. However, the value of foodexports in the market has remained modest, he noted.
Experts at the event reminded Vietnamese exporters to pay greater attention to transportand preservation stages when exporting goods to Africa.
They advised Vietnamese firms to carefully studythe market as well as legal regulations in each country and information of itspartners to avoid risks, while choosing safe payment methods.
At the same time, they underlined the need for exporters to ensure that theirproducts meet particular requirements in each market./.
There is room for Vietnamese exports to the African market, experts said at a virtual workshop on Vietnam-Africa trade promotion held by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) on July 21.
A trade forum has been held online for Vietnamese and South African coal businesses to seek stronger coal trading cooperation between the two sides to meet coal demand for production and electricity generation in Vietnam.
Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Hoang Van Loi has led a delegation of Vietnamese representative agencies in South Africa to attend a seminar on ASEAN investment held by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) of South Africa and the Northern Cape provincial government in Kimberley city.
South Africa remains a promising market for Vietnam’s fishery products and serves as an important gateway for them to enter the regional market, an official has said.
The article by Cuba’s Inter Press Service detailed how Vietnamese private enterprise Agri VMA leased 1,000 ha of land in Los Palacios district, Cuba’s westernmost province of Pinar del Río, for rice cultivation over a three-year period. The project’s first harvest in 2025 recorded an impressive yield of 7.2 tonnes per hectare, far exceeding the local average of 1.6 tonnes.
During the visit, office representatives held a working session with the Tipaza Chamber of Commerce and Industry and met with several prominent local businesses operating in key sectors including industry, agriculture, fisheries, food processing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and plastics.
A Nordic delegation to Vietnam International Sourcing 2025 in September will feature leading names in retail, consumer goods, logistics, and sustainable manufacturing, including global fashion giant H&M, offering fresh prospects for partnerships in fashion, textiles, and green supply chains.
With the current trading band of +/- 5%, the ceiling rate applicable for commercial banks during the day is 26,276 VND/USD and the floor rate 23,774 VND/USD.
Effective from the date of signing on June 18, the decision halts procedures outlined in the 2005 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the governments of Vietnam and Laos on the initial implementation of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement at the Lao Bao–Densavan border gate.
The event aimed to update businesses on new regulations and compliance requirements regarding US tax, trade, and customs policies, while offering practical solutions to facilitate exports amid shifting trade dynamics.
The festival marks a significant milestone in promoting the brand, value, and legacy of traditional fish sauce - a product deeply rooted in the island’s identity and history spanning over 200 years.
According to Mastercard data, Vietnam has recorded a remarkable 92% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in contactless transaction volume from Q4 2022 to Q4 2024.
Tuan expressed his confidence that LH, with its expertise and experience, would swiftly implement the urban area project, contributing to a modern urban landscape for the province.
With its strategic location, abundant workforce, and modern infrastructure, Vietnam holds significant potential to become a leading centre for power and electronics production in the region and the world.
The renewable energy workforce training and development centre, invested by Germany's GEO Group, is expected to be a cornerstone in shaping Binh Dinh as a renewable energy and innovation hub in central Vietnam, meeting the growing demand for skilled technical personnel in offshore wind, solar farms, and green hydrogen projects.
A notable trend is the shift toward satellite regions. With land scarcity and soaring prices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, investors are eyeing provinces like Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, and Hai Phong, which are benefiting from improved technical infrastructure and transport connectivity.
To further strengthen private-sector innovation, Bac Ninh plans to accelerate administrative reforms, build a digital, service-oriented government, and develop an integrated innovation ecosystem that connects businesses with domestic and international institutions, universities, and experts.
The participation of H&M, one of the world's largest fashion corporations, in Vietnam International Sourcing 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City in early September is considered a special highlight, opening up many cooperation opportunities for Vietnamese businesses in the fashion, textiles and sustainable supply chains.
This latest order builds on a previous agreement signed at the Singapore Airshow last year for 40 engines, bringing the total number of Trent 7000 engines ordered by the airline to 80.
Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien acknowledged that despite concerted efforts by ministries and local authorities in combating fake and substandard goods, the situation remains highly complicated, attributing the persistent challenges to high profits luring numerous participants, increasingly sophisticated violations, limited resources within enforcement agencies.
The group also placed among the Top 5 energy companies in Southeast Asia and secured the top spot among the largest Vietnamese enterprises featured on the list.
Rice is the major export product of Vietnam to Africa. Illustrative image (Source: VNA) 
