Southern Vietnam coastal province promotes fish sauce, chocolate, crafts at HCMC show

Farmers and businesses from Ba Ria-Vung Tau are promoting a range of specialties and OCOP (One Commune One Product) products from the province at an exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City.

Among the products they are introducing to local consumers and distribution systems are provincial specialties including fish sauce, spices, handicrafts, rice, fruits and seafood.

The “Week of Displaying, Introducing, and Promoting Agricultural Products, Specialties and OCOP Products from Ba Ria Vung Tau” is being held October 25-28 at the Export Showroom, 92-96 Nguyen Hue street, District 1, HCMC.

The event is organized by the province’s Department of Industry and Trade in coordination with the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre of HCMC (ITPC).

Ho Thi Quyen, deputy director of the ITPC, said the event provides businesses with the opportunity to promote trade and gradually expand the production-consumption chain of products, goods, and services of the province with domestic and foreign partners.

Participating in this program are 34 businesses with typical products of Ba Ria-Vung Tau including honey, lingzhi mushrooms, pepper, cordyceps, tea, coffee, pennywort powder, vermicelli, rice noodles, pho, turmeric starch, cocoa powder, fish sauce, spices, handicrafts, rice, fruits and seafood.

Quyen said she hoped that the event will enable businesses from the province to gather information about consumption trends in HCMC. They can also get updates on regulations and standards for goods marketed to retail corporations, distribution systems, supermarkets e-commerce platforms and wholesale markets in the city.

The businesses will have more opportunities to meet and connect with potential business and distribution partners in HCMC in particular and the country as a whole in general, she said.

Le Anh Hoang, deputy director of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion Centre, said that the province currently had 79 markets, five shopping malls, 14 supermarkets and more than 150 stores in the retail chain operating to serve the shopping needs of people inside and outside the province.

A survey done at a number of supermarkets and shopping malls found that although people's purchasing power had improved somewhat this year, it was not as high as in 2023.

It also found that spending was mainly focused on daily necessities; with the outlay on clothing, fashion and tech products decreasing significantly.

In this context, to support the consumption of OCOP and other typical products of the province, his department has coordinated with other agencies to organize trade promotion fairs and encouraged businesses and producers to participate in such events.

A representative of OCA Viet Nhat Company Limited, which has a factory in the province, said the company has exported chocolate, cocoa wine and cocoa power to Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. Chocolate and cocoa powder were its bestsellers, the rep said.

Nguyen Thi Chim Lang, chairwoman and CEO of Vung Tau High-Tech Agriculture Company Limited, said that the company's main products are chocolate, cocoa liquor, cocoa powder and milk.

Lang, former director of the provincial Department of Education, also said the company worked with universities to research marketable products.

She said the company’s chocolate was currently being sold on Vietjet flights. It was also preparing to export its products, she added.