KUALA LUMPUR: Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha underscored the halal industry’s pivotal role in the 21st century during the opening of the Global Halal Summit 2025, a flagship event at the Malaysia International Halal Showcase 2025 (MIHAS 2025) in Kuala Lumpur on Friday (Sept 19).
His activity coincided with National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and his spouse’s attendance at the 46th General Assembly of the Asean Inter‑Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-46) and official visit to Malaysia from Sept 17-20.
Ha praised the summit as a platform for countries, businesses and global partners to forge connections, boost trade, and drive investment in the halal sector, while driving sustainable and inclusive development, spreading humanistic values, sustainability and quality standards of the global halal industry.
Vietnam considers halal development an important pathway to drive new growth momentum, he said.
On the occasion, the Deputy PM held discussions with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry and head of the MIHAS 2025 organising committee Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Religious Affairs Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, among others.
During these meetings, Ha expressed Vietnam's desire to deepen halal cooperation with Malaysia through sharing policy experience, building and following halal development strategies, strengthening certification bodies and enterprises, and investing in halal production, supply chains, ecosystems and industrial zones.
Recognising ample potential for halal cooperation, PM Anwar assigned Deputy PM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who oversees halal, to work directly with Ha on specific measures.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Religious Affairs, for his part, revealed his plan to visit Vietnam next week to boost halal collaboration.
The guest leader also toured nearly 30 Vietnamese companies’ booths at MIHAS 2025 that showcase consumer goods, agricultural products, processed food, handicrafts, cosmetics, and fashion.
MIHAS, held annually in Malaysia since 2004, is the world’s largest halal industry exhibition, serving as a premier global trade platform that drives innovation and growth in the Halal economy.
In 2024, the event generated transactions worth 4.3 billion RM (US$1.02 billion).
Under the theme “Pinnacle of Halal Excellence,” MIHAS 2025 spotlights innovation and sustainability as linchpin of the sector’s growth, adaptability, and competitiveness.
The showcase features 14 categories, including food, beverages, halal ingredients, fashion, media, entertainment, e-commerce, finance, cosmetics, and tourism, with over 2,300 booths from 45 countries. - Vietnam News/ANN
