MoIT and distribution groups launch a set of manuals to guide Vietnamese enterprises to export into some distribution systems. — VNA/VNS Photo Uyên Hương

HÀ NỘI —  Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Đỗ Thắng Hải has called the export of local goods through the distribution network of foreign retail groups an efficient and sustainable export channel.

Hải was speaking at a conference reviewing five years of Vietnamese enterprises participating in foreign distribution networks in Hà Nội yesterday.

“With the support of leading retail distribution groups, high-quality products from agricultural products, to home appliances, furniture and textiles have reached million foreign consumers through distribution systems spread all over the world," he said.

Held online with the participation and distribution groups such as Aeon, Walmart, Central Retail, Lotte, Mega Market as well as representatives of Vietnamese trade offices in foreign countries, the conference reviewed a project approved by then Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng in 2015, which aimed to bring local products to the world.

The conference analysed the results in 2016-20 through activities such as training to improve business capacity, increasing trade connection, organising weeks of Vietnamese goods abroad, building a database system, boosting communications and attracting more foreign distribution groups to buy Vietnamese goods. 

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) appreciated the results achieved by the project but also assessed shortcomings and problems that need to be resolved. 

Delegates discussed and proposed solutions to implement the project for 2021-30, positioning Việt Nam as an important source in the ASEAN region of international retail distribution groups. 

Tạ Hoàng Linh, Director General of the European-American Market Department of the MoIT, said: “The ministry will continue efforts to develop the network of strategic partners of the project, especially, the retail distribution firms that are present in Việt Nam or are interested in shifting the supply chain to the Vietnamese market.”

At the same time, MoIT will work with industry associations and localities to select a team of core businesses to support in project activities in research, formulate, and propose policies to help Vietnamese enterprises participate in this potential form of direct export. 

The ministry will also support Vietnamese businesses to export and sell goods on cross-border e-commerce platforms and continue to mobilise the banking system to support export businesses with diversified financial solutions. 

The MoIT and distribution groups launched a set of manuals to guide Vietnamese enterprises to export into some distribution systems that are partners of the scheme. The MoIT said the manual provided basic and useful information about each system and introduces the supplier selection process, requirements and standards of some products when exporting to each distribution system such as Aeon, Decathlon, Lotte, Center Retail and Mega Market. 

The ministry will work with other distributors to launch other sets of manuals. 

At the conference, Hải expected distribution groups, as strategic partners of the ministry to support Vietnamese enterprises to expand their export markets and participate in the global supply chain. — VNS