HPA looks back on busy year of promoting Hanoi trade

HPA has attended six major international expos

In particular, in the trade promotion sector, the HPA has basically fulfilled its assigned tasks of organising connecting with localities to supply goods to the city, as well as improving the export of local goods to foreign markets. Promotion activities were also strengthened, especially in the commodities exports of Hanoi and the country in general through direct channels to the wholesale market in Japan, the EU, and Korea in the upcoming time.

Specifically, by the end of September 2018, HPA has organised six major trade promotion events abroad and seven outstanding domestic events.

First of all, in overseas markets, HPA organised a delegation to attend Ambiente 2018 – the world’s leading consumer goods trade fair – in Germany as well as research gift-making technology and 3D printing for ceramic products in the Netherlands on February 3-14.

At the exhibition, the Hanoi booth attracted nearly 5,000 visitors, including 424 new import customers, and the total value of the transactions at the exhibition reached over $1 million. Even after the fair, Vietnamese businesses continued to trade and negotiate with partners, with eight out of the 14 enterprises signing export contracts worth an estimated $2.5 million per year.

In June, HPA successfully organised the Vietnam-Hanoi Goods Week at the AEON supermarket chain in Japan. Hanoi's products were sold at 40 retail outlets in the shopping complexes, supermarkets, and department stores of AEON Group in Saitama and several provinces in the South and North of Kanto, attracting more than 40,000 Japanese businesses and consumers to visit and shop. Revenue per point of sales hit JPY3 million ($26,086) and six products have been selected by AEON Group as a permanent part of its system.

Along with this, the HPA has successfully organised the Vietnam Agricultural Product Week 2018 in Rungis, combined with introducing and promoting Vietnamese tourism in France. Here, some of the Vietnam fruits such as litchi, dragon fruit, banana, and coconut attracted great interest and were appreciated by world importers. The leaders of Rungis Group were also very interested in the city leaders’ plans to deploy the wholesale market model and promised to support the implementation.

Also at this week, Vietnamese businesses traded, connected, and negotiated with more than 100 importers and wholesalers at the Rungis market. Some companies achieved impressive results, such as Vingroup (vegetables, bananas, pomelo), TH Group (spices, nut milk), Ban Mai company (canned fruit), Hamona Vietnam Ltd. (coconut), Eco Tiger Co.,Ltd (organic rice), Nafood Group (passion fruit), GVA corporation (litchi fruit). Even after the week-long event, businesses stayed in touch with partners in France, continuing negotiations and trade relations.

From June 14 to 23, the HPA organised a delegation to attend leather and footwear-handbag expos held in Italy and Germany, researching market trends, approaching new production technology, and bagging deals at Expo Riva Schuh, while working with the Italian National Association of Manufacturers of Footwear, Leather Goods and Tanning Technologies, together with the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce, and the Federal Association of the German Footwear and Leather Goods Industry.

During this mission, the participating enterprises conducted transactions with more than 100 importers from other countries and successfully signed 31 agreements.

Beside the participation in the Mechanical Components & Materials Technology Expo (M-TECH) 2018 in Japan from June 19 to 24 (more than 2,000 visitors to the Hanoi booth and 400 transactions signed), HPA also took part in Vietnamese Goods and Tourism Week 2018 in Thailand (August 20-27). During the five-day event, the Hanoi delegation held an impressive display, attracting a large number of Thai consumers to visit and shop. Five enterprises also signed contracts during the week.

As a result of the week in Thailand, several Vietnamese enterprises are now part of the distribution systems of Central Group (Robinson, BigC Vietnam, Central Food Retail, CENTARA). Within the framework of the programme, HPA collaborated with Central Group and Thailand’s Northern Handicrafts Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NOHMEX), as well as the Thai Ministry of Commerce’s Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP). The event gave Hanoi handicraft villages the opportunity to sample the typical products of Chiang Mai’s villages following Thailand's OTOP (One Tambon One Product) trend.

In addition, HPA took part in the Southern Folk Cake Festival 2018 in Can Tho city. Through the festival, enterprises connected and found distribution agents, introduced products in Can Tho and the southern areas, focusing on honey products, tea, cashmere, handicrafts, silk products, and embroidery.

Then, from April 25 to May 3, the HPA held the Northern Quang Ninh One Commune One Product (OCOP) Fair 2018. Hanoi’s booth attracted a large number of visitors and transactions, especially consumers from Ha Long and the neighbouring areas of Quang Ninh province, expanding distribution and consumption markets. Sales revenue from the event reached VND1 billion ($43,478), and five companies found new distributors in Quang Ninh province.

Attending the Hue Festival 2018 international trade fair on April 24-30, the Hanoi businesses reported sales of about VND2 billion ($86,957), while at the same time connecting and finding distributors in Thua Thien-Hue and the central coast for 3D paper card products, coffee, garments, handicrafts, silk products, and embroidery.

Besides, HPA also attended the 20th International Shoes and Leather Exhibition (Shoes & Leather – Vietnam 2018) in Ho Chi Minh City from July 9 to 14. Through the event, the Hanoi booth attracted more than 2,000 customers and businesses to transact and search for potential partners such as Xiamen Greaship Corporation, TL Creation Vietnam, Star Trading Limited, LF Sourcing, Gaitonde Leathers & Accessories, Sadia International, and Foshan Gaoming Xinmingda Synthetic Leather Co., Ltd.

At the trans-Asia industry and trade fair in the Central-Highlands region, Quang Tri 2018 (July 24-30), the revenue from products sold at the Hanoi booth was about VND300 million ($13,043).

Together with the above activities, in the first nine months of the year, the HPA also co-operated with the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) to create and launch the "Safe Agricultural Product" website, which is the first website to provide information about safe agricultural products to help consumers identify and choose stores that provide safe food. Businesses can also participate in introducing and selling products on the website and have a chance to promote and affirm the quality of their products.

In addition, the agency also held a series of conferences and seminars, as well as participated in some fairs to help connect Hanoi’s businesses with other provinces to promote consumption products. These events include the 18th Vietnam International Agriculture Trade Fair (AgroViet 2018), the Fair of Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Products on the South Central Coast 2018 in Quy Nhon city of Binh Dinh province, the One Commune One Product (OCOP) fair in Thai Nguyen, as well as the conference organised by the Hanoi People’s Committee and Fukuoka prefecture of Japan promoting agricultural co-operation and the safe arm product and vegetable forum 2018 in Hanoi.

Through the participation in fairs as well as conferences, many agreements and contracts have been signed featuring a wide range of high-value products. Moreover, regional specialties have been promoted and introduced to consumers, thereby contributing to the creation of jobs as well as improving the socioeconomic conditions of localities.

In general, the HPA’s innovative efforts have beensuccessfully expanding distribution systems throughout Vietnam and abroad alike, while the newly set-up feedback systemwill help the agency to monitor the success of each programme and improve them by next year.