American food fest looks to boost US-Vietnam agriculture trade

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. embassy organized a barbeque fest in Hanoi Thursday to introduce Vietnamese importers, retailers, restaurants and chefs to American food.

The event was part of efforts to stimulate agriculture trade between the two countries by boosting awareness of American food, beverages, agricultural products in Vietnam, the organizers said.

The Great American Barbeque Festival by United Tastes, held in collaboration with USDA associates from across the U.S., was also a celebration of the elevation of U.S.-Vietnam ties to that of a comprehensive strategic partnership on September 10 during President Joe Biden’s Hanoi visit.

The associates included the U.S. Meat Export Federation, U.S. Pork, USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, Potatoes USA, USA Blueberries, the Raisin Administrative Committee, the Washington Apple Commission, the California Milk Advisory Board, the U.S. Soybean Export Council, the U.S. Grains Council, Sorghum Checkoff, the Wisconsin Ginseng Board, and the Texas Department of Agriculture.

“The close cooperation between the U.S. and Vietnam in promoting agricultural products and bilateral trade is another testament to the commitment between our two nations in forging a prosperous future for citizens in the U.S., Vietnam, the region, and the world,” the U.S. embassy said in a release on the event.

“In 2022, the level of bilateral trade was more than 300 times greater than it was in 1995. This event is an example of the fruitful trade relationship between the U.S. and Vietnam, especially in agriculture. This is a vibrant, two-way trade relationship that benefits the producers, exporters, importers, and consumers of both our nations,” it quoted U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper as saying.

“This is a special opportunity where the food and beverage industry in Vietnam can directly meet representatives for 16 U.S. food ingredients associations and U.S. wine and beer brands in Hanoi, to strengthen and expand their networking and relationships, as well as to know more about the high quality and diversity of U.S. agricultural products,” said USDA agricultural counselor Ralph Bean.

U.S.-Vietnam bilateral agricultural trade has grown rapidly during the last five years, reaching $9.8 billion in 2022. Vietnam is the ninth largest importer of U.S. agricultural products, while the U.S. is the largest importer of Vietnamese agricultural products.