Vietnamese fruits "cause nostalgia" in China

On September 29, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and the Ministry of Industry and Trade delegation attended the first Vietnam Fruit Festival held in Beijing, China. The event was co-organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the cooperation of the Vietnamese Embassy in China, the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, and Chinese partners.

Visitors try Vietnamese durian at the Festival. (Source: VNA)

The festival was held at the Xinfadi Agricultural Products Distribution Center in Fengtai District, Beijing. This is the largest fruit wholesale market in Beijing, distributing all the world's fruits officially imported into China. The center not only serves the needs of more than 22 million Beijing residents but also neighboring localities such as Hubei, Tianjin, etc.

Speaking at the Vietnam Fruit Festival in China, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien emphasized that the Vietnam Fruit Festival with the theme "Vietnamese Fruit - Four Seasons of Deliciousness" - an important trade promotion event, on the sidelines of the 13th Session of the Vietnam - China Economic and Trade Cooperation Committee.

According to the Minister, Vietnam is located in a tropical, monsoon climate zone - a place considered a paradise for tropical plants; in particular, there are many rich fruit gardens, stretching across the country, with the diversity and sophistication of many types of fruit (from the sweet, juicy taste of rambutan, longan, green-skinned grapefruit, watermelon; the refreshing taste of fresh coconut, dragon fruit; to the strange taste of mangosteen, passion fruit and the wonderful, fatty taste of jackfruit, durian).

With an annual output of 12-14 million tons, Vietnam's fruit products not only meet domestic consumption needs but also serve exports with a turnover of nearly 3.5 billion USD per year. In addition to fresh fruit, Vietnam also exports many processed fruit products such as dried fruit, fruit jam, crushed vegetables and fruits, fruit juices, etc.

Over the past years, the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has been developing very well, bringing practical benefits to both sides; in which, economic and trade cooperation has been increasingly developing deeply and broadly and achieved many important and positive results, despite the decline of the world economy.

As evidence, China has continuously maintained its position as Vietnam's largest trading partner and Vietnam is currently China's largest trading partner in ASEAN and fifth in the world; in terms of supplying fruits and fruit products, Vietnam is China's third largest partner in the world (after Thailand and Chile) with many products that have established a solid position and are favored by Chinese consumers.

In particular, with the cooperation of the authorities and the efforts of businesses of the two countries, more and more Vietnamese fruits are officially exported to China. These are products with outstanding quality, clear origin, meeting plant quarantine standards and having standardized packaging facilities, packaging and labels in accordance with Chinese standards and regulations.

However, the results achieved in the past have not been commensurate with the potential, needs and strengths of each side. Currently, Vietnamese fruits are still mainly exported to China through border trade to meet the market demand of some localities in the southern and southeastern regions of China and provinces adjacent to Vietnam.

For other localities, the presence of Vietnamese fruit products is still quite modest; while the demand for fruit consumption in the Chinese market is very large and the ability to supply high-quality, specialty fruits of Vietnam is abundant; along with the advantages of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements of which the two countries are members, and the geographical location of "mountains next to mountains, rivers next to rivers", convenient for transportation. Therefore, there is still a lot of room for fruit businesses of the two countries to exploit and develop.

The organization of the Vietnam Fruit Festival in Beijing is an initiative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, aiming to contribute to implementing and realizing the commitments and political determination of the two countries' senior leaders after the visit to China by General Secretary and President To Lam last August.

Although it was only held for the first time, the Festival attracted and gathered many large enterprises exporting fresh fruits and processed fruit products from Vietnam to display, introduce products and serve Chinese consumers (most of the fruits present here have been officially exported to the Chinese market).

Within the framework of this Festival, there will be direct trading activities between Vietnamese enterprises and Chinese fruit importers and distributors; Product experience program and Discussion on the export potential of Vietnamese fruits. This is a good opportunity for Vietnamese producers and suppliers to introduce and promote their brands and typical fruit images, as well as meet and seek customers, enhance trade, and build sustainable cooperative relationships with potential partners in fruit import in China.

At the same time, it is a favorable opportunity for a large number of Chinese consumers to have the opportunity to directly experience the quality and unique, distinctive flavors of Vietnamese fruits, especially for consumers in Beijing and northern China - where they do not have regular access to high-quality Vietnamese fruits, thereby helping to promote the national brand for agricultural products in general and Vietnamese fruits in particular to the Chinese market.

"This event will also be a premise and experience to organize specialized festivals more regularly, not only in Beijing, but also in other localities of China to connect and expand the export of Vietnamese fruits to this large market," Minister Nguyen Hong Dien emphasized.

At the same time, the Minister proposed that Chinese authorities continue to coordinate, facilitate quarantine, customs clearance of goods and resolve issues related to bilateral economic and trade policies between the two countries, facilitating cooperation and trade activities between the business communities of the two countries; especially continuing to open the market, expanding the list of fruits and agricultural products of Vietnam that are officially exported to China. Thereby, contributing to spreading more strongly the unique and delicious flavors of Vietnamese fruits to Chinese friends and consumers.

For his part, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien affirmed that Vietnam is ready to create favorable conditions in accordance with the law for many types of Chinese fruits to be imported into the Vietnamese market, as well as help Chinese enterprises invest and do business effectively and sustainably in Vietnam.

"With similarities in culture and cuisine, along with increasing understanding and concern for health and the increasing demand for natural, high-quality products among the people, Vietnamese fruits and fruit products will certainly be a good choice for many wise Chinese consumers," Minister Nguyen Hong Dien believes.

Sharing the same view, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam emphasized: This event is very important, marking the good results of cooperation in the field of agriculture and agricultural trade between the two countries. This is also a very valuable opportunity for businesses of both sides to connect, trade, and promote cooperation in developing the fruit industry of the two countries.

According to Li Yan, Deputy Director of the Asian Department (Ministry of Commerce of China), China is the largest export market for fruits and vegetables of Vietnam. In 2023, Vietnam's agricultural exports to China accounted for 21% of Vietnam's total agricultural export turnover to the world.

With the joint efforts of both sides, high-quality Vietnamese fruits such as durian, dragon fruit, banana, mango, etc. have been present in the market of 1.4 billion people. At the same time, food products produced in Vietnam such as coffee, pho, etc. are also favored by many Chinese consumers. Along with the comprehensive implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement as well as the continuous upgrading of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, cooperation between the two countries in technology, standards, and agricultural production is increasingly developing in a deeper and broader direction.

Mr. Truong Ngoc Ty, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Tan Phat Dia Agricultural Products Distribution Center, said that the Vietnam Fruit Festival is a wonderful exhibition fair in Beijing, which is of great significance and of the times, demonstrating the tireless efforts of the Vietnamese people in meeting the needs of the Chinese market.

At the same time, it more vividly reflects the friendly cooperative relationship between China and Vietnam in the agricultural sector, thereby creating opportunities for connection and exchange between Chinese and Vietnamese agricultural enterprises; at the same time, it will certainly promote the further development of Vietnam's agricultural exports.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/trai-cay-viet-nam-gay-thuong-nho-tai-trung-quoc-288132.html