HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese businesses seized the opportunity at the SIAL 2025 agriculture and food exhibition to align with Canada's ongoing trend of diversifying markets and supply chains, participating with greater scale in both the number of enterprises and variety of products.

The Vietnamese companies showcased a wide range of goods, from raw input materials for production chains to high-value processed food products.

Trần Thu Quỳnh, trade counsellor at the Embassy of Việt Nam in Canada, said Việt Nam had six enterprises participating as suppliers of raw input products such as rice and spices, as well as deep-processed items including dairy products and chocolate. These are new and creative product lines from Việt Nam that the Canadian and broader American markets are not yet familiar with.

Roberto Magnato from the Canadian Export Development noted the significant interest in exploring opportunities for Canadian companies to export to and sell in Việt Nam. Equally, there is strong demand among Canadian firms for sourcing raw materials and products from Việt Nam for local processing and manufacturing.

He stressed the importance of leveraging existing free trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) between Canada and Việt Nam.

In recent years, Việt Nam has exported over US$10 billion worth of goods annually to Canada. Around $4 billion of this has been routed through US suppliers, given Canada’s reliance on its southern neighbour’s supply chain. Ongoing trade tensions between the two countries are opening up more direct opportunities for Vietnamese products to enter the Canadian market.

Sales Director of Lotus Rice Company Vũ Thị Huê stated that their participation in the fair aims to reach more customers and partners. The company also seeks to better understand the market to attract a broader customer base, considering Canada’s significant size and potential.

Lê Thị Hoài Thương, deputy general director of the Viet Pepper Company, expressed the company’s desire to continue participating in future fairs and hoped for greater support from the Việt NamTrade Office in Canada and domestic agencies to help bring more Vietnamese products to the Canadian market.

In the first two months of 2025, Việt Nam exported $1.7 billion worth of goods to Canada, up 12.9 per cent compared to the same period last year. If this growth rate is sustained, Việt Nam’s exports to the country can exceed $11 billion this year, with a trade surplus of approximately $10 billion.

This indicates that while tariff threats present challenges, they also offer opportunities for both sides to enhance market and supply chain diversification and reduce dependence on a single market. — VNS