More US agricultural products, food, and beverages will be available in Vietnam through WinMart, one of the largest supermarket chains in Vietnam, as part of efforts to promote United Tastes in the Southeast Asian country.

A wide variety of US agricultural products, food and beverage available for customers in Hanoi. Photos: WinMart

United Tastes is a project supported by the United States Department of Agriculture to promote US food and beverages in Vietnam.

The partnership between the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service in Hanoi and WinMart aims to bring American tastes closer to Vietnamese consumers through the American Summer Vibes campaign.

Accordingly, 80 US food and beverages products, including directly imported fresh cherries and blueberries; beef; pork and poultry; and other consumer-oriented products, including canned food, sauces, dry fruit, nuts, milk, cheese, ice cream and yogurt, soft drinks and wine, and beer and spirits.

The marketing campaign is being rolled out at the WinMart network this Summer, offering Vietnamese consumers the finest US food and beverages at special prices and with product sampling opportunities.

US agricultural products, food, and beverages are becoming more popular in Vietnam thanks to their high quality, safety, availability, and diversity, according to Ralph Bean, USDA Agricultural Counselor.

For that reason, the cooperation between USDA/FAS and WinMart will effectively promote high-quality, safe, nutritious, and healthy products imported from the US, he highlighted.

Chargé d’Affaires Melissa Bishop from the US Embassy in Hanoi speaks at the kick-off event for the American Summer Vibes campaign in Hanoi on July 3.

“Vietnam is an important export market for US agricultural products. In 2022, US exports of consumer-oriented products to Vietnam reached over US$1 billion and are expected to grow along with Vietnam’s dynamic retail industry,” Chargé d’Affaires Melissa Bishop from the US Embassy in Hanoi said at the Kick-off event for the American Summer Vibes campaign in Hanoi.

The premium quality, consistent supply, and sustainable values of US food and beverages contribute tremendously to the growing bilateral trade relationship between the US and Vietnam, she stressed.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Trong Tuan, Head of the WinMart chain in Vietnam, said: “Agricultural food and beverages from the US are always favored and well-received by WinMart and WinMart+ thanks to their freshness and premium and outstanding quality.”

United Tastes aims to connect, educate, and inspire Vietnamese consumers about the high-value, high-quality, safe, and healthy products available in the US.

Nguyen Trong Tuan, Head of the WinMart chain in Vietnam, at the event.

US-Vietnam agricultural cooperation

According to US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Evans Knapper, agriculture plays a prominent role in trade relations between the US and Vietnam.

Relevant agencies are attempting to increase the availability of American agricultural products in the Southeast Asian nation to increase the market share of those products. “We are looking for ways to expand US agricultural imports into Vietnam,” Ambassador Knapper told The Hanoi Times.

“We think our agricultural products have the highest standards in the world and the best tastes, so we keep producing and continuing to introduce great products from the US to the people of Vietnam,” he said.

“We believe that through American food products, we can introduce the people of Vietnam even more from the US,” the ambassador emphasized.

No other significant US agricultural export market has expanded as quickly since 2006 as Vietnam. This is a sizable and expanding market for US producers and a major engine of the US economy.

Statistics by the USDA showed that Vietnam is the 9th largest US agricultural export market, with the total export value of $3.94 billion. Accordingly, the three-year average agricultural exports to Vietnam were $3.85 billion. The average compound growth was 5% in the 2013-2022 period.   

The visit by the USDA delegation recently highlighted the significance of the US-Vietnam agricultural relationship, including the two countries' cooperation on climate smart agricultural practices and initiatives. The two sides also work to strengthen bilateral agricultural trade and market US farm and food products to Vietnamese importers.