Nguyễn Huỳnh Trang, deputy director of the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade, speaks at the seminar to introduce the Vietnamese Goods Week in Thailand in October. — VNS Photo Xuân Hương

HCM CITY — HCM City, Thai-owned MM Mega Market Vietnam and Big C in Thailand will organise their first ever Vietnamese Goods Week in Thailand in October.

Speaking at a seminar held to introduce the event in HCM City yesterday, Nguyễn Huỳnh Trang, deputy director of the city Department of Industry and Trade, said the event would feature 100-150 booths.

They would showcase regional specialities, the city’s key products and those with high export potential such as processed foods, handicrafts, office supplies, apparel, interior products, household utensils, farm produce, and seafood, Trang said.

The booths would be free and the cost of setting up and decorating them would also be borne by the BJC Group – which owns Big C in Thailand and MM Mega Market Vietnam, she said.

There will be B2B meetings between companies from the two countries and seminars about the Thai market.

It will enable Vietnamese businesses to promote their products and brands in the Thai market, study the demand there, link up with local partners, and map out strategies to enter the market.

It will be held at Big C Rajdamri Supercenter, considered the busiest area in Bangkok.

Phidsanu Pongwatana, managing director of MM Mega Market (Vietnam) Company Limited, said: “Our goal is to contribute to promoting trade opportunities between the two countries and help Vietnamese businesses export to Thailand, enabling Thai consumers to enjoy good quality products at reasonable prices from Việt Nam.”

There is great potential to export agricultural products such as seafood, fruits and vegetables to Thailand, and Việt Nam is also famous for its regional specialities, especially processed foods, which are like by Thai consumers, he said.

“Many Vietnamese textile and handicraft products are very unique and have great potential in the Thai market.

“Việt Nam is an important market for BJC Group in the region. Therefore, we have implemented two strategies in parallel: One is to constantly improve the quality, services and goods at MM Mega Market to best serve Vietnamese consumers.

“The second is to assess Vietnamese products for export to nearly 1,000 Big C stores belong to BJC Group in Thailand.”

Last year more than 600 tonnes of Vietnamese products including dragon fruit, sweet potato, dried fruits, and rice paper were exported to Thailand for selling at Big C malls.

Following positive feedback from the market, MM Mega Market Vietnam plans to increase the volume in 2019 to around 200 tonnes a month, he added. — VNS