Geographical Indications (GIs) are considered an effective tool to promote the export of Vietnamese agricultural products.

Specialties from regions across Vietnam are being introduced to local consumers and foreign visitors at a fair opened at the shopping centre of Vincom Mega Mall Royal City in Hanoi's Thanh Xuan district on November 22.

The image of Vietnamese brands, which is relatively modest in the CPTPP market, needs to be improved in a bid to tap the tremendous potential of this market, experts have advised.

A seminar was held in Hanoi on July 20, aiming to facilitate the registration and management of Vietnamese trademarks and geographical indications (GI) in China.

The northern province of Bac Giang is set to push ahead with building brands, trademarks, and expanding the market for local agricultural products, said the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The south central province of Binh Thuan aims to build brands for local products associated with the protection of geographical indications in order to increase value and affirm the brands of speciality products.

The northern province of Bac Giang is building trademarks for local farm produce with an aim of reaching more markets, toward raising the value of agro-forestry produce export by an average 8% a year to reach about 200 million USD by 2030, reported the provincial People’s Committee.

Authorities in Thanh Hoa province have been working hard to help agricultural specialties gain a foothold in the market.

A delegation of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) visited France from September 9 - 12 to meet local agencies and learn from their experience, management models, mechanisms and policies for promoting innovation and intellectual property (IP).

Various measures have been rolled out to boost Vietnam’s agricultural sector’s growth towards higher productivity, better quality, stronger competitiveness and sustainability.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has requested the ministries of health, agriculture and rural development, industry and trade and People's Committees of provinces and cities work to ensure food safety during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Vietnam earned an estimated 711 million USD from exporting agricultural products to the European Union (EU) in August and September, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The agriculture sector needs to address challenges related to branding, geographical indications, traceability, and intellectual property to take full advantage of the free trade agreement Vietnam has signed with the EU, speakers said at a meeting on July 24.

Up to July, 2019, 1,125 certificates have been granted to products and services with geographical indication.

The Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) plans to register several more Geographical Indication (GI) products of Thailand in China and Malaysia to increase their market values and prevent possible piracy.

Lack of attention to registering brand names and geographical indications is causing difficulties to Vietnamese agricultural products, which are sometimes shut out of other markets after their names are usurped by others, heard a seminar.

Revenue from products with geographical indications (GI) of Thailand this year is projected to stand at 4 billion baht (about 123 million USD), said the country’s Ministry of Commerce.

The application of high technologies in cultivation, animal husbandry and fisheries has helped increase economic value by 10-30 percent.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in geographical indication (GI) protection was signed between the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam (NOIP) and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) in Hanoi on August 21.

Up to 80 percent of enterprises invest less than 5 percent of sales revenue in branding development, undermining the domestic and foreign market share for Vietnamese products.