52 Ho Chi Minh City agricultural firms taps Saudi Arabian market

The Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Center, in coordination with the Vietnam Trade Office in Saudi Arabia, is organizing a pavilion for Ho Chi Minh City enterprises at the third Saudi Food Show.

The event takes place from May 12 to 14 in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and is expected to attract over 1,300 global brands.

This year marks the first time that products from Morocco, Vietnam, and Tunisia have been featured at the exhibition.

The event offers an opportunity for businesses to seek partners and increase trade with Saudi Arabia, a vital gateway to the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East region.

The 52 businesses from Ho Chi Minh City are those with export experience and halal certification in food and beverages, dairy, grains, nuts, and plant-based products.

The products are displayed at the shared pavilion consisting of three adjacent booths with a total area of 300 square meters.

Tran Trong Kim, first secretary in charge of the Vietnam Trade Office in Saudi Arabia, said that following this exhibition, the trade office will continue organizing market-specific seminars and business networking activities.

Saudi Arabia has a high demand for agricultural imports such as fresh fruits and vegetables, and rice. 

Each year, the Middle Eastern country imports about 1.7 million metric tons of rice, yet Vietnam has only exported around 35,000 metric tons.

Businesses in Saudi Arabia are looking to import products directly from Vietnam instead of through third parties to optimize costs.

After more than 25 years of diplomatic relations, Saudi Arabia has become one of Vietnam’s leading economic partners in the Middle East.

In 2024, the two countries’ bilateral trade reached US$3.1 billion, with Vietnam recording a trade surplus of some $100 million with the Middle Eastern country.

The two countries aim to increase this figure to $10 billion by 2030.