A view shows fresh seafood at Long Bien Market, one of the largest wholesale markets in Hanoi, in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 28, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
HO CHI MINH CITY: The signing of multiple trade cooperation agreements between Vietnam and Middle Eastern countries late last year has opened up new opportunities for Vietnamese goods to enter the halal market, creating strong momentum and prospects for businesses, particularly those in agriculture.
According to Agriculture and Environment Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, products entering the halal market, which serves a quarter of the world’s population, must comply with Islamic laws, particularly for items such as food and cosmetics.
The growing demand for imported food in Muslim countries presents significant opportunities for Vietnam’s agricultural and aquatic products as well as its food processing industry.
Local seafood processing and export enterprises are completing required procedures and adopting necessary technologies to take their products into halal markets.
According to To Thi Tuong Lan, deputy secretary general of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, Vietnamese seafood companies are actively pursuing strategies to expand into new markets to mitigate risks associated with overreliance on one or a few traditional markets.
Among these firms, Minh Phu Group has obtained halal certification and is boosting shrimp exports to the halal market.
Other companies, such as Vinh Hoan Corp and Bien Dong Seafood Co Ltd, are also expanding their presence in this market in addition to their traditional markets.
Lan said Vietnam’s production standards, such as the Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices, GlobalGAP and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, are largely aligned with halal requirements, providing a solid foundation for the halal certification process.
Vietnam has also strengthened partnerships with halal certification bodies in the member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, she noted, adding that recent agreements between halal management agencies in Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia aim to promote mutual recognition of halal certificates and facilitate smoother market access.
In addition to agricultural producers, other food companies in Vietnam have also obtained halal certification and are exporting their products. According to the Food and Foodstuff Association of Ho Chi Minh City, major food enterprises such as Vinamilk, Bibica and Cholimex Food JSC have been exporting to Muslim markets for several years now.
Notably, Vinamilk has successfully won over consumers in the Middle East with its high-quality halal-certified products that fully meet the region’s stringent standards and requirements.
According to Le Chau Hai Vu, a consultant and improvement specialist at the Industry and Trade Ministry, halal certification is a mandatory “entry pass” that food processing and export businesses must obtain in order to access markets in Muslim countries.
He said that once certified, halal products gain key advantages such as meeting the regulatory requirements for export to Muslim countries and earning the trust of Muslim consumers.
Given the potential of the halal market, many Vietnamese agricultural exporters see it as both a driving force and a challenge in their strategies to penetrate new markets and boost the country’s export revenue.
General director of Vietnam Agriculture Joint Stock Company, Nguyen Van Ha, said that the halal market is indeed a promising sector for the future.
To successfully tap into it, businesses must work together to establish a closed value chain model, ranging from product procurement and quality standardisation to the application of traceability technology, exports and market development, said Ha. — Viet Nam News/ANN
