HCM City (VNA) - The signing of multiple trade cooperation agreements between Vietnam and Middle Eastern countries in late 2024 has opened new opportunities for Vietnamese goods to enter the Halal market, creating strong momentum and prospects for Vietnamese businesses, particularly those operating in agriculture.

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien, products entering the Halal market, which accounts for 25% of the world’s population, must comply with Islamic laws, particularly in items such as food and cosmetics. The growing demand for food in Muslim countries presents significant opportunities for Vietnam’s agricultural and aquatic products, and food processing industries.

Vietnamese seafood processing and export enterprises are in the process of completing procedures and adopting necessary technologies to bring their products into the Halal market.

According to To Thi Tuong Lan, Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Vietnamese seafood companies are actively pursuing strategies to expand into new markets to mitigate risks associated with overreliance on one or a few traditional markets.

Among them, Minh Phu Group has obtained Halal certification and is boosting shrimp exports to the Halal market. Other companies such as Vinh Hoan Corporation and Bien Dong Seafood Co., Ltd also continue to expand their presence in this market alongside their traditional markets.

Lan said Vietnam’s production standards such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and HACCP are largely aligned with Halal requirements, providing a solid foundation for the Halal certification process.

Vietnam has also strengthened partnerships with Halal certification bodies in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s member states, she noted, adding that recent agreements between Halal management agencies of Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia aim to promote mutual recognition of Halal certificates and facilitate smoother market access.

Not only agricultural producers, but many food companies in Vietnam have also obtained Halal certification and are exporting their products to the Halal market. According to the Food and Foodstuff Association of Ho Chi Minh City, major food enterprises such as Vinamilk, Bibica, and Cholimex Food JSC have been exporting to Muslim markets for several years. Notably, Vinamilk has successfully won over consumers in the Middle East with high-quality Halal-certified products that fully meet the stringent standards and requirements of the region.

According to Le Chau Hai Vu, a consultant and improvement specialist at the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), Halal certification is a mandatory “entry pass” that food processing and export businesses must obtain to access markets in Muslim countries. He said that once certified Halal, products gain key advantages such as meeting the regulatory requirements for export to Muslim countries and earning the trust of Muslim consumers.

Given the potential of the Halal market, many Vietnamese agricultural exporters see it as both a driving force and a challenge in their strategy to penetrate new markets and boost the country’s export revenue.

Nguyen Van Ha, General Director of Vietnam Agriculture Joint Stock Company, remarked that the Halal market is indeed a highly promising one for the future. To successfully tap into it, businesses must work together to establish a closed value chain model, ranging from product procurement and quality standardisation to the application of traceability technology, export, and market development.

ꩲ According to Ha, investing in international standard systems such as Halal, GlobalGAP, or ISO is an essential path for enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products./.