Hanoi (VNA) – Japanese commodities and food have become increasingly popularamong Vietnamese consumers, creating opportunities for firms from bothcountries.

Japanese products are a favourite of Vietnamese people, with big urbanareas featuring various Japanese retailers and restaurants like AEON, Ministop,Family Mart, Tokyo Deli, Gyu Kaku and Oshaka Ohsho.

Kazuhiro Takahashi, director of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO)’sagriculture, forestry, fisheries and food division, said that the Vietnamesemarket has potential for Japan’s agricultural products.

Strong sales have been reported for Japanese salmon, tuna, Kobe beef and eel.Those products also receive a positive response from the public.

Experts said that Vietnamese consumers are ready to splash out on safe andhigh-quality food. Revenue from Japan’s fresh vegetable at Japanesesupermarkets in Vietnam increases more than 200 percent each year and thefigure is forecast to experience strong growth.

In addition, consumers in Vietnam have snapped up Japanese cosmetics due to theirsafety and quality.

According to Japanese investors, Vietnam is enticing foreign investment intofood and retail sales as the country has a young population with 60 percent ofits 90 million people under 35 years old. They said that increasing incomeswill boost spending among young people.

Takimoto Koji, head of JETRO in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Vietnameseconsumers’ desire for Japanese products coupled with strong flow of Japanesecapital into services, consumption and cuisine have created a drive forVietnamese businesses’ development.

When bringing their products to Vietnam, Japanese businesses have adapted tofit local tastes. They have also worked with Vietnamese material suppliers toreduce costs and lower product prices.

One of Japan’s largest supermarket chains in Vietnam, AEON has given toppriority to selling Vietnamese products. On AEON’s shelves, 80 percent of itsgoods are made in Vietnam with the remainder imported from Japan and othercountries.

According to a representative from AEON Vietnam, Japanese retailers want to bringVietnam’s high-quality products closer to the consumers, so their presence inVietnam is a great opportunity for Vietnamese commodities to use thedistribution system of large retailers.

This will help Vietnamese businesses enlarge their domestic consumption marketwhile affirming their brand names in Japan and other foreign nations.

However, products need to have clear origins and undergo food safetyexaminations before they appear on the shelves of Japanese supermarket chains.

Vietnamese enterprises should focus on producing safe products meeting qualitystandards of foreign nations. This will help them take part in global supplychains.-VNA