The Vietnamese Week in Thailand 2022 – Taste Of Vietnam bridging Vietnamese businesses with Thai retail and distribution network

November 20, 2022

(Bangkok, November 17th, 2022) – The “Vietnamese Week in Thailand 2022”, co-organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and Central Retail Vietnam, has officially been launched on November 16th, 2022, at Central wOrld, one of the largest shopping complexes in the world. The Event will take place until November 20th, 2022.

Vietnamese Week in Thailand 2022 has significant meaning since its timing coincides with the Annual APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok and had the privilege of welcoming H.E. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of Vietnam, to the opening ceremony and the ribbon-cutting on November 17th, 2022.

The event also welcomes Mr. Sinit Lertkrai, Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Commerce, Mr. Do Thang Hai, Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Mr. Nikorndej Balankura, Ambassador of Thailand to Vietnam; Mr. Phan Chi Thanh, Ambassador of Vietnam to Thailand also attended the Event. The presence of the leaders affirmed the strong relations and cooperation between the two governments and peoples in various areas, such as economics, trade, investment, and culture exchanges.

This is the 5th time “The Vietnamese Week in Thailand” has taken place with the theme “Taste of Vietnam”. The Event continues Central Retail Vietnam’s efforts to join hands with the Vietnamese government in promoting Vietnam’s cultural beauty, attractive destinations, and best Vietnamese products to Thailand and other international markets through the past 4 Vietnamese Weeks.

Mr. Do Thang Hai, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, spoke at the Opening Ceremony: “The cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Thailand has been developing significantly, particularly since Vietnam and Thailand elevated their relations to a strategic partnership in 2013. Thailand is currently the largest economic partner of Vietnam within ASEAN. Vietnam was the second-largest economic partner of Thailand within ASEAN (after Malaysia) in 2021. For that year, the total export-import turnover of Vietnam and Thailand reached USD 18.8 billion (the highest to date), an increase of 17.9% compared to 2020. In the first 9 months of 2022, the total export-import turnover between Vietnam and Thailand reached USD 16.1 billion, an increase of 17.2% compared to that of 2021.

In recent years, the Government of Vietnam has facilitated direct export by enterprises to distribution networks in other countries, including Thailand. Vietnamese Week in Thailand 2022 is an important annual event, held since 2016, within this framework. To help Vietnamese goods approach and be exported to the distribution network of Central Group, Central Retail Vietnam has been cooperating with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to deploy market research, select enterprises with suitable products for the Thai market, organize practical training courses to improve capacity and the quality of goods, and assist in the development of tailored products for the Thai market.”

Ms. Jariya Chirathivat, Executive Vice President – Business Development – Central Group and Chairwoman – Central Retail Vietnam, remarked: “The Vietnamese Week in Thailand is a significant annual event for Central Retail Vietnam. This year, besides promoting the product of excellence coming from Vietnam, the event is built under the inspiration of GO! Mall concept, a member of the Central Retail in Vietnam, with 39 active malls across the country. This concept introduces a remarkable shopping mall model that has been working well in Vietnam.

For each of Vietnamese Week, our team always strives to make each event better than the last by closely following guidelines and recommendations from the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam to achieve a greater scale and higher quality. Vietnamese Week in Thailand is one of our prominent initiatives to realize Central Retail Vietnam’s vision of contributing to Vietnam’s prosperity and enhancing Vietnamese people’s quality of life. We are delighted to be a part of Vietnam”.

At the high-level dialogue – Top to Top Meeting between the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) and Central Retail in Vietnam, Deputy Minister Do Thang Hai presented the Merit in recognition of the contributions that Central Retail in Vietnam and especially Ms. Jariya Chirathivat – Executive Vice President – Business Development – Central Group and Chairwoman – Central Retail Vietnam, have made in promoting the consumption of Vietnamese products at home and abroad.

The Vietnamese Week in Thailand 2022 attracts more than 70 businesses to showcase the best Vietnamese products to Thai consumers. The products are carefully selected to highlight innovation, natural and health-focused products, organic farming, efficient management with Blockchain technology, OCOP Elite product lines, and flagship products under the national program and the circular economy.

Some notable products include Vinamit’s “cutting-edge” organic foods, Coi Viet from Lao Cai (Muong Khuong hot sauce, Orange tea, Shiitake Mushroom) uses advanced technology and techniques to preserve the product’s flavor while also guaranteeing the highest levels of consumer safety, Dan On Foods with the mission to create the most nutritious foods and beverages possible by combining A.I. technology with human creativity; Miss Ede chocolate which conforms to the “circular economy” standards, or OCOP’s 4-star Macca nuts from Damaca Nguyen Phuong JSC…

To increase export opportunities for Vietnamese products to Thailand, the organizing committee have allocated prime areas at 3 main halls of CentralWorld for the Vietnamese Week in Thailand 2022, covering nearly 1,000 sqm out of the Complex’s 800,000 sqm, with a total of 45 eye-catching booths. In addition, visitors will have the opportunity to explore tourism, culture, and specialties, i.e. highland farm products and seafood, from 2 special destinations: Lao Cai – the mountainous Northwest border, and Ca Mau – the Southernmost land of Vietnam. The 5-day event is expected to welcome 500,000 visitors.

As part of the Vietnamese Week in Thailand 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam also collaborates with Central Retail Vietnam to hold a business-matching conference to connect Vietnamese businesses with Central Group in Thailand’s retail affiliates and Thai importers. The Conference will enable Vietnamese businesses to showcase their best products and establish connections with Thai partners.

Central Group in Thailand also strives to assist Vietnamese companies in exploring opportunities to grow their business in Thai market through a variety of its own distribution channels and business initiatives.

Several Vietnamese businesses have successfully exported their products to the Central Group’s distribution channel in Thailand through Vietnamese Week, such as MR. VIET (coffee), BIBICA, VIFON, TRUNG NGUYEN, VINAMIT, HAI BINH (cashew nuts), CHINSUFOODS, DAIVIET, VIET PEPPER. This demonstrated the Event’s great results and proved that the Thai market is not too challenging as long as Vietnamese enterprises can meet Thai consumers’ demands and tastes.

The Vietnamese Week in Thailand 2022 is jointly sponsored by Vietjet Air, Southeast Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SeABank), KOVA Paint Group; Hanhsilk Trading Joint Stock Company and Drinkizz Company Limited.