Vietnam Showcased at Seoul Food 2023

Seoul Food 2023 is the largest food exhibition in Korea, boasting 2,500 booths from 1,500 companies across 30 countries. This year, more than 30 Vietnamese enterprises participated in the event, showcasing a variety of export products such as processed foods, agricultural goods, and spices.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Nguyen Vu Tung (second from right) visited a Vietnamese booth (Photo: Khanh Van).

Attending Seoul Food 2023 is a great opportunity for domestic brands to gain insight into the newest trends and market demands from South Korea, Vietnam’s key foreign market.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Nguyen Vu Tung at the company’s product display area (Photo: Khanh Van).

Vietnamese businesses, with the support of the Vietnamese Embassy and Trade Office in Korea, have been gaining a lot of attention thanks to their famous brands like Masan and Vinamilk. From the onset, these booths have drawn in a great number of visitors eager to sample Vietnamese products, learn more about local specialties, and explore potential business opportunities.

The Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea, Nguyen Vu Tung, and Ambassadors from ASEAN countries recently paid a visit to the trade exhibition area of Vietnam, where they praised the range of Vietnamese products on show. They were greatly impressed by the quality and variety of the items on display.

At Seoul Food 2023, Masan Consumer Products Joint Stock Company held a grand launch ceremony for the Korean market showcasing their premium Chin-su seasoning set (Photo: Khanh Van).

The Deputy General Director of Masan, participating in Seoul Food 2023, declared that the company has identified South Korea as a key market in their development strategy. They are dedicated to introducing Vietnamese cuisine and brands to the global stage.

Vietnamese enterprises participating in the exhibition (Photo: Khanh Van).

Vietnamese cuisine has become increasingly popular in the Korean market in recent years. The secret to its success lies in the traditional and unique flavors of spices used to create its distinctively delicious dishes. This growing demand has resulted in a surge of investors in the spice market, further demonstrating the popularity of Vietnamese brands in the Korean market.

Vietnamese enterprises participating in the exhibition (Photo: Khanh Van).

A representative of Sen Vietnam Company, Vu Hong Ha, said that its food products have been exported to the Korean market since 2014 up until the present. In 2022, the company successfully shipped around 150 containers of cucumbers to the Korean market. Its primary partners are restaurants and Lotte Mart supermarkets. This year, the business introduced an exciting new product to the Korean market known as coconut cake. It has become a best-seller on the e-commerce site Coupang, featuring signature tastes from Ben Tre and Quang Nam. The business representative noted that Korea is a promising market for Vietnamese food, particularly traditional items.

Ambassadors of ASEAN countries at the opening ceremony (Photo: Khanh Van).

South Korea is currently Vietnam’s third-largest trading partner, after China and the United States, with a total trade volume of approximately US$88 billion in 2022. Both countries are determined to reach the ambitious goal of US$100 billion in total trade turnover by the end of 2023, further strengthening the already strong trade cooperation between the two nations.

Vietnam is a major exporter of textiles, food, and agricultural products to the Korean market. In 2019, Vietnam’s exports to Korea amounted to approximately US$2 billion, representing 5% of Korea’s total imports of US$40 billion. This demonstrates the immense potential for further growth in Vietnam’s exports to Korea.