Halal means "allowed" in Arabic, he told Viet Nam News, adding that it was not the choice of just Muslims, but also other people who give priority to cleanliness, safety and quality of products.

To local enterprises, a halal label is a symbol of good quality and a must-have item to enter the Muslim market.

He said while more and more Muslim tourists were visiting Viet Nam, they sometimes discovered a shortage of halal food places in the country. For instance, they cannot find halal fast food outlets such as KFC or McDonald's in Viet Nam, while these are available in Singapore and Cambodia.

Potential market

At the same time, Abdulrohman saw a good opportunity for Vietnamese enterprises in the halal food market as Viet Nam is one of the leading exporters of agricultural products. "With cheap labour costs, it can compete with others in both price and quality," he said.

The prospects for local growth in food and beverages are positive. The Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry has forecast the industry will see a 7.5 per cent increase in sales and a 10.5 per cent increase in revenue this year.

Meanwhile, data from the Viet Nam Report JSC says the revenue from agricultural and food products such as coffee, vegetables, fruits and pepper, besides cashew nuts, seafood and rice reached nearly $20 billion in 2014.

However, Abdulrohman said not many enterprises had understood the potential of the halal market, with some not even knowing what halal food was.

Of the total 3,500 enterprises working in the agricultural and food industry in Viet Nam, less than 200 enterprises have halal certifications to enter the Muslim market.

Most of the enterprises having certification are experienced ones such as Coca Cola, Pepsi, Masan and Highland Coffee, besides Vinamilk, Vinamit and Huu Nghi.

A representative of Vinamit, a well-known Vietnamese dry food brand, said Vinamit had received the certification in 2009, and that now their sales network covered the Asean region and the Middle East.

Director Abdulrohman said to support and increase awareness of the importance of the certification as well as to provide more information on the opportunities for entering Muslim markets, they worked with related departments in Viet Nam, and organised workshops and training to promote the use of halal certifications.

General Secretary of Food and Foodstuff of HCM City Association Nguyen Lam Xuan Thuy said local enterprises were developing fast and actively, adding that by learning more about the Muslim market potential and with enough qualifications, they could maximise their business capacity and opportunities.

Learn from Thailand

Thailand, which is developing as the "kitchen of the world," could be a good example to be emulated, Thuy said, adding that Thailand and Viet Nam shared several similarities such as the absence of a large Muslim community, and having food processing industries with huge potential. But Thailand seems to have more experience in serving Muslim customers.

While most of the population in Thailand is Buddhist, the country is developing as the world's halal food research centre. The Philippines, where most of the people are Catholic, is one of the major halal chicken exporters to the Middle East. Singapore has most of the logistics and is a transit hub for halal food in the South-East Asian region.

With more recognition given to the certificates, "Vietnamese enterprises still have a good chance in the competition," Abdulrohman said.

Global exhibition organiser UBM Asia will open Food Ingredients Asia 2015, the largest trade fair in Asia showing technology, products and innovations in food ingredients, from September 9 to 11 in Bangkok, followed by a similar fair in HCM City in May.

UBM Asia's Business Director Rungphech Chitanuwat said the exhibitions would not only connect Vietnamese and Thai counterparts, but also potential Muslim importers such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

She said the development of halal food manufacturing was one of the issues to be emphasised in the exhibition, and thus, the exhibitors would benefit from the event and the connections they make. —VNS