Delegates view products on display at the Vietnamese Products Exhibition Week that opened at AEONTân Phú Celadon in HCM City on Thursday. — Photo courtesy of ITPC

HCM CITY — A wide range of Vietnamese products such as packaged and processed foods, and agricultural products are on display at the Vietnamese Products Exhibition Week that opened at AEON Tân Phú Celadon store in HCM City on Thursday.

Organised by the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre of Ho Chi Minh City (ITPC) and AEON Vietnam Co. Ltd., the event is a part of an annual series of trade promotion activities aiming to foster collaboration between Vietnamese enterprises that produce high-quality and hygienic products meeting food safety standards, and AEON, one of the world's largest retailing groups.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Trần Phú Lữ, ITPC’s director, said all products participating in the exhibition had to meet AEON Vietnam’s assessment criteria, with a specific focus on safety, novelty, and showcasing regional or traditional characteristics.

Lữ also highlighted that the exhibition's organising committee received registrations from over 210 businesses across the country, with 34 selected to exhibit packaged and processed foods, such as tea, coffee, spices, confectionery, as well as agricultural products like rice, fruits, vegetables, and organic items.

“The programme aims to facilitate increased access for Vietnamese products to both domestic and international consumers through the AEON supermarket chain system.

“Simultaneously, by collaborating with the heads of sourcing divisions at AEON, enterprises can better understand consumer trends to produce suitable products, thereby enhancing product quality and competitiveness for export to the Japanese market and other discerning markets.”

Takeuchi Takashi, deputy general director of the office division at AEON Vietnam, said Việt Nam is a key market for AEON, second only to Japan.

“AEON Group in Japan and Việt Nam have consistently endeavoured to promote Vietnamese products not only in the domestic market but also in the Japanese and international markets in recent years.”

For example, the Vietnamese Products Week at AEON supermarkets and retail stores in Japan, which commenced in 2015, significantly contributed to increasing the export of Vietnamese agricultural products to Japan, he said.

Furthermore, the Vietnamese Products Exhibition Week at AEON Tân Phú has witnessed a steady increase in the number of participating suppliers over the years, he pointed out.

“This demonstrates our commitment to supporting the development of local suppliers by enhancing their production capacity and product quality,” he stated.

Lữ said that within the framework of the exhibition, a conference would be held on October 9 to enable Vietnamese firms to introduce their products to AEON’s stores, with about 200 Vietnamese firms expected to participate.

AEON representatives would directly engage with participating businesses to discuss and evaluate their products, and provide them with consultation on technical standards and product quality, he said.

To gain entry into the Japanese retailer’s stores, products must not only meet food safety and hygiene standards but also provide quality certificates and certain documents to AEON, he said.

Suppliers must also meet other requirements in terms of the production process and labour conditions, he said.

“We anticipate that participating businesses will seize the opportunity to showcase new products that boast high quality, superior usability features, and reasonable prices to meet the needs of consumers.”

The exhibition will run until October 9. — VNS