HCM City (VNA) - Vietnameseexporters can now get all the information they require about the Europeanmarket at www.viet-export-win.com, which has been launched in Ho Chi Minh City bythe Ministry of Industry and Trade in collaboration with the EU-MUTRAP Project.

Dinh Sy Minh Lang from the ministry’sEuropean and American Market Department said the portal provides up-to-dateinformation related to EU regulations, tariff incentives, internationalstandards, market trends, products they can sell to the EU, buyers’perceptions, and sector news.

Lang said “Vietnam’s export window toEurope” database would initially focus on six sectors in which Vietnam enjoyscertain advantages: textiles and garments, wood and furniture, fruits andvegetables, aquaculture, leather and footwear, and coffee and tea.

At a seminar held to introduce the databaseon November 29, he said through the database, domestic firms could find outeverything they need to do if they want to enter the global distributionnetwork.

The portal was developed as part of aprogramme called “Developing Direct Participation of Vietnamese Enterprises inForeign Distribution System up to 2020” that was approved by the Government in2015.

The programme seeks to help Vietnamesefirms develop new export channels to directly take their products to consumersin foreign countries to cut intermediary costs and add value.

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Nguyen Khanh Ngoc, deputy head of theEuropean and American Market Department, said understanding markets is alwaysimportant when doing business.

The European market has strict regulationsin terms of food safety, environmental protection, and origin, and Vietnamesebusinesses need to be aware of and follow them as well as meet requirements setby distributors there, she said.

They need to pay special attention tobuilding brands for export products, which would help build trust in Vietnamesegoods among foreign consumers, she said.

The ministry has coordinated with Europeandistributors to organise “Vietnamese products week” in EU supermarkets topromote quality Vietnamese products and brands, and connect Vietnamese firmswith distribution chains, she said.

Tran Van Lieng, general director ofVietnamcacao, said launching the database on the European market by theministry is a good thing because it offers businesses information about themarket so that they can identify the right strategy for each market.

Hoang Thi Lien, manager, fresh foods, Vietnam,for France’s Auchan, spoke about her supermarket’s sourcing system and purchasingstandards for food and non-food products.

To sell products to Auchan’s 3,800 storesaround the world, Vietnamese producers need to meet certain minimumrequirements, including hygiene and food safety standards in line withVietnamese laws and regulations, and furnish documents for each product, shesaid.-VNA