The USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis, Bruno Jousselin, managing director of MM Mega Market Vietnam, and other delegates inaugurate the “United Tastes - Khám Phá Mỹ Vị Hoa Kỳ” at MM An Phú supermarket in HCM City on September 9. — Photo Courtesy of MM Mega Market

HCM CITY — A delegation from the US Department of Agriculture led by Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor is in Việt Nam from September 9 to 13 to promote trade.

It includes executives from nearly 60 agribusinesses and organisations and nine state governments, who hope to meet with key importers and get insights into local and regional markets through site visits and briefings from various officials.

On September 9, MM Mega Market and the USDA inaugurated the “United Tastes - Khám Phá Mỹ Vị Hoa Kỳ” programme to introduce Vietnamese consumers to the flavours of US cuisine through imported foods and beverages at MM An Phú in HCM City.

The programme will be held at all MM Mega Market stores nationwide until September 25 with discounts of up to 30 per cent on fresh foods like Tyson chicken, beef, potatoes, Envy, Jazz and Fuji apples, grapes, cherries, and oranges, dry foods like sauces, chocolates, wheats, and nuts and wines and juices.

The event will also feature special promotions, food sampling and cooking demonstrations.

Customers buy American fruits being sold at big discounts under the “United Tastes - Khám Phá Mỹ Vị Hoa Kỳ” programme at MM An Phú .— VNS Photo

Bruno Jousselin, managing director of MM Mega Market Vietnam, said: “This marks the third year of our partnership with the USDA, and we are confident that our ongoing collaboration will continue to thrive in the upcoming time. This event is crucial in enhancing bilateral trade; therefore, bringing directly imported premium US food and beverages closer to our … customers.”

Taylor said: “Retail promotion like this event is crucial to educate consumers about the quality, reliability, and safety of US food and agricultural exports.”

The US and Việt Nam have been strong trading partners, she added.

According to a USDA report, Southeast Asia offers immense opportunity for US exporters, with rising consumer incomes, a growing middle class and favourable perceptions of US food and agriculture.

For years, the US has been a key trading partner for Việt Nam, it said.

In 2023, the US exported agricultural products worth US$3.1 billion to the country, including cotton, soybeans, grains, nuts, wheat, poultry, dairy products, fresh fruits like apples, grapes, cherries, and more, it said.

Speaking to the media, Taylor said: “There is great potential for Vietnamese products in the US market. The US is already Việt Nam's second largest food and agricultural export market. We have complementary trade. Many of the products, particularly on the fruit side, that Việt Nam produces the US cannot produce.”

The opportunity to promote bilateral trade in food and agriculture is large, she added.

Việt Nam exports eight fruits to the US - dragon fruit, rambutan, longan, lychees, star apple, mango, pomelo, and coconut, and has granted access for American fresh fruits such as apple, cherry, grape, pear, blueberry, orange, grapefruit, peach, and nectarine.

Việt Nam will next export passion fruit to the US. The two sides are negotiating for market access for other Vietnamese fruits such as seedless limes, guavas, and jackfruit, and has moved one step closer to shipping tangerines, plums, lemons and pomegranates from the US. — VNS