Better branding, quality important for foreign market access

Paul Le, Vice President of Central Retail Vietnam

What are your assessments of the quality of Vietnamese raw materials, produce and food?

Vietnamese raw materials are of very good quality. Vietnamese farm produce, including coffee, pepper, cashews and basa fish, among others, have become world leading goods. Last year, Central Retail Vietnam experimentally exported almost one tonne of Vietnamese longan to Thailand, which attracted consumers in this market.

We keep promoting Vietnamese longan in Thailand. About 2.3 tonnes of longan from Vietnam’s Mekong Delta provinces are expected to be sold at Central Retail Thailand’s Tops stores in 2023, up 140 percent from 2022. We are working hard to increase Vietnamese longan exports to Thailand on an annual basis.

Lychees from Bac Giang Province in northern Vietnam are the best products of their kind in the world. In mid-July 2023, Central Retail Vietnam worked with its partners to export three tonnes of lychee from Bac Giang Province’s Luc Ngan District to Thailand.

Vietnamese instant noodles, low-sugar organic snacks, and Phu Quoc fish sauce products are available in Thailand. They are special and tasty.

The fact that Central Retail successfully exported lychees and longan to Thailand shows that this market has many potentials and opportunities for Vietnamese businesses.

How have Vietnamese enterprises done to reach out to foreign markets?

Many Vietnamese businesses were unconfident of introducing their products to foreign markets. They have nowadays made efficient efforts in trade promotion overseas and successfully exported goods to Thailand through modern retail channels.

Vietnamese enterprises have made great strides in branding development and know how to best tell their product stories.

This change is the beginning and I believe that Vietnamese businesses will have many ways to reach out to the world market.

Central Retail has strengthened Vietnamese longan promotion in Thailand

What should Vietnamese businesses do to increase their product presence in Central Retail Thailand’s supermarkets and reach other foreign markets?

The first thing they need to do is to stand firm in the Central Retail Vietnam’s store network. They need to focus on product processing, packaging and branding. Information on product packaging should be easy to read, easy to remember, and products covers should have eye-catchingly nice colors. Products for sales in Thailand should be spicier than those for sale in Vietnam.

Green production and environmental protection are something to which Vietnamese businesses need to pay due attention.