Eighty Japanese businesses, mostly from Japan’s Hokkaido Province, introduced their food items and services at a trade promotion programme held in HCM City on Tuesday.

To match Japanese and Vietnamese businesses in food and beverages, seafood and technology, the programme showcased products such as beef, noodles, seafood, rice, wine and beer.

Nanatsuboshi rice, used to make sushi and rice balls, has ranked first in a contest to evaluate Japanese rice flavour for six consecutive years.

At the event, Kadou Foods Ltd Co presented its Hakodate Yukinko cake products made from the rare sweet potato of Hokkaido and Hakodate beef milk.

Governor of Hokkaido Takahashi Harumi said that Viet Nam was a promising market for Japanese food products.

More than 1,000 restaurants in the country serve Japanese cuisine, while HCM City has about 660 Japanese restaurants, twice as many as there were three years ago, according to the Consulate General of Japan in HCM City. — VNS