HCMC – About 170 Vietnamese companies are participating in THAIFEX-Anuga Asia 2025, Southeast Asia’s largest food and beverage trade exhibition, to explore export opportunities, strengthen customer engagement, and expand global partnerships.
At this year’s event, companies from diverse segments of Vietnam’s food and beverage sector are displaying innovative products, leveraging the event to engage with potential buyers from various international markets.
Held from May 27 to 31 in Bangkok, the event features F&B companies from across the region. Vietnamese exhibitors represent a wide range of product categories, including spices, coffee, chocolate, seafood, rice, and processed food.
Vietnamese firms are using THAIFEX to showcase their branding capabilities, product innovations, and international compliance standards to attract buyers and distributors from around the world.
Established brands seek global validation
Nam Duong, a brand with more than 70 years in Vietnam’s condiment market, is leveraging its legacy to build international credibility. General Director Ho Diep Anh Khoi said that participation in large-scale trade shows helps reinforce brand trust domestically and internationally and highlight quality standards.
The company is introducing a range of soy sauces already recognized in markets such as the U.S. and Canada, alongside new offerings including spicy chili sauces, mayonnaise, and rice-based noodles. Nam Duong aims to compete globally by combining local flavors with adherence to international food safety certifications.
Positioning Vietnamese coffee for export
Coffee Concept focuses on elevating the global image of Vietnamese Robusta coffee through quality improvements and innovative product offerings, positioning itself directly alongside established European and Italian coffee brands.
“We aim to retain the Vietnamese name ‘cà phê sữa đá’ for our milk coffee products. That name alone can become a cultural identifier, much like ‘phở’,” Vo Huu Truong An, head of the company’s import-export department, told The Saigon Times.
The firm introduced innovative flavored coffees, including durian and coconut, finding unexpected success in European markets. Coffee Concept’s sustainability initiatives such as organic farming practices and compliance with international certifications like Rainforest Alliance and EUDR also position its products favorably in markets with stringent environmental standards.
New players highlight ingredient quality
Bittersweet Chocolate, a startup based on Phu Quoc Island off Vietnam’s Kien Giang Province, is entering the export market with chocolate products made from locally sourced cacao beans.
Huynh Hoang Nhat Truong, the founder of Bittersweet Chocolate, emphasized that Vietnamese cacao has a high cocoa butter content and rich flavor, giving it a competitive edge over imported blends. He also saw the event as a crucial step in their efforts to go global.
Seafood exporters compete on cost
Nguyen Viet Anh, deputy director of the Kien Giang Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion, said Vietnam’s seafood and rice exporters are focusing on competitive pricing to stand out in markets with similar offerings. He noted that improvements in branding and packaging are needed to better position Vietnamese products globally.
