Vietnam National Brands Week 2021 opens in Singapore

The event is jointly organised by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore.

In his virtual speech at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai said the "hybrid" expo, which is organised in both in-person and online forms, is one of the effective new approaches, especially amid complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This event will be an important milestone for agricultural and food trade cooperation between Vietnam and Singapore, a premise to affirm cooperative spirit of a Memorandum of Understanding expected to be signed by the Ministries of Industry and Trade of the two countries in the coming time.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phuoc Dung also affirmed that this exhibition is part of commitments of the Vietnamese government and businesses to promote trade flows and prevent supply disruptions.

The event is hoped to strengthen agricultural trade cooperation between the two countries to ensure supply chains and food security for the people of the two countries, he noted.

A representative from the Singaporean Ministry of Trade and Industry said with its strengths in digital technology and e-commerce, Singapore is committed to continuing to promote trade flows, especially with Vietnam.

The exhibition will be an opportunity for Singaporean importers to easily connect and partner with Vietnamese manufacturers, the representative added.

Douglas Foo, President of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, expressed his belief that the expo will create opportunities for Singaporean businesses to understand more about Vietnamese brands and products, thus setting up a sustainable supply chain between the two countries.

According to Director of the Singapore SATS APC Regional Perishables Auction Hub Tan Lijin, processed products are accounting for an increasing value in the share of global agricultural trade, so Vietnamese exporters will have many opportunities to access international markets, including online commodity auction channel.

This is the first event of this kind to be held in Singapore with the aim of increasing awareness among the Singaporean business community and consumers about Vietnam's national brands.

Nearly 40 Vietnamese enterprises are exhibiting about 500 high-quality food brands at the event, which will last until August 28.

In the framework of the expo, an online trade conference for Halal products and processed foods of Vietnam and Singapore, and an offline business-to-business (B2B) matching event will be organised, enabling businesses of both sides to interact and exchange information on benefits of free trade agreements, products and other business procedures.