HCM City (VNA) - TheMinistry of Industry and Trade will continue to work with large foreigndistributors to promote exports of Vietnamese products.

The ministry’s European Market Department,which on May 26 held a meeting on implementing the programme “Developing DirectParticipation of Vietnamese Enterprises on Foreign Distribution System up to2020”, seeks to help Vietnamese firms develop new export channels to directlytake their products to consumers in foreign countries.

Dang Hoang Hai, head of thedepartment, said the ministry had co-ordinated with European distributors likeCasino (France), Metro Cash & Carry (Germany), Makro (Czech Republic), CoopItalia and Conad (Italy), to organise “Vietnamese products week” in EUsupermarkets to promote quality Vietnamese products there and connectVietnamese firms with distribution chains.

Around 10 “Vietnamese ProductsWeek” events have been held in the EU and Asia since 2011, which have helpedVietnamese firms export through foreign distribution channels, cut intermediarycosts and bring higher value, he said.

Tran Thanh Hai, deputy chairmanof Central Group Vietnam, said in recent years the Big C supermarket chain hadactively helped take Vietnamese goods worth tens of millions of dollars tosupermarkets in the EU.

After Central Group acquiredBig C, Central Group Vietnam and Big C have continued to implement manyprogrammes to promote and take Vietnamese products to overseas markets.

Central Group Vietnam and Big Cwill co-operate with the ministry to organise the second Vietnamese ProductsWeek in Thailand at the end of July to enable more Vietnamese products likehandicrafts, garment and textile, and farm produce like lichi, dragon fruitsand sweet potatoes to be exported to Thailand and other ASEAN countries, hesaid.

Nishitoghe Yasuo, generaldirector of Aeon Vietnam, said Vietnamese suppliers were constantly improving their productquality and 1,675 of them weresupplying his company.

Aeon has been very active inexporting Vietnamese goods through its 14,000 stores in Asia including Japan,he said.

The most popular of the productsare tra fish, textile and garment, andfootwear, he said.

Last year Aeon exported 200million USD worth of goods from Vietnam, with tra fish accounting for 9 million USDof that.

But Vietnamese firms continueto encounter difficulties in accessing foreign distribution systems because, tosell through modern trade channels, they need to ensure consistent quality,delegates at the seminar said.

Albin Bertand, the food marketmanager of Auchan Retail in Vietnam,said customers prioritised product price and quality.

Besides focusing on qualityassurance, Vietnamese producers need research trends in potential markets toidentify the right strategy for each market, he said.

Vu Kim Hanh, chairwoman of theVietnamese High Quality Product Business Association, said the key factors forVietnamese products to enter modern trade channels were quality and origintraceability.

In 2015 the Government approveda plan to help Vietnamese businesses directly participate in foreigndistribution networks.

It hopes to ensure Vietnameseproducts are directly sold through major distribution systems in countries inEurope, North America, Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia with which Vietnam hassigned free trade agreements.-VNA