Vietnamese police clearance certificate

Many enterprises are exploiting well

According to regulations, to export food and processed agricultural products to Muslim countries, enterprises will have to comply with regulations, production, and processing processes of agricultural and food products that meet Halal food standards and must receive a Halal certificate.

Meeting these requirements, at present, some Vietnamese enterprises have been promoting the export of their products to Halal markets, such as Vinamilk, Nestlé Vietnam, and Minh Phu Seafood.

A representative of Minh Phu Seafood Corporation said that the company exports shrimp products to the Islamic market, with each export up to 12 containers.

At its peak, the company can export up to 15 containers per month, about 300 tons. Products for this market account for an average of 3-5 percent of the company’s export structure. The representative of this company also said that to successfully export to the Muslim market, Minh Phu must ensure that neither its products nor shrimp feed contains protein from pork.

Ms. Le Thi Thanh Mai, Inter Market Supply Manager at Nestlé Vietnam, said that the Halal food market has great potential and is growing day by day. Nestlé Vietnam has successfully exported thousands of tons of products to consumers in the markets of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

With a total estimated population of 400 million people, of which the majority are Muslims, this is one of the market groups that Nestlé sees as potential and will continue to boost exports. The company serves consumers in the aforesaid markets with some product lines, such as oyster sauce, Maggi dipping sauce, Milo powder, Nescafe instant coffee powder, and Nescafe Dolce Gusto instant coffee tablet.

Need to ensure standards

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Halal food market is considered to be extremely potential, with a population of about 2 billion people worldwide. With the current food production and processing capability of Vietnam, this is a great opportunity. The potential of market development for this market of Vietnam will be more and more open when enterprises ensure good implementation of Halal’s standards. To enter this market, enterprises need to have a certain understanding of the Muslim culture, customs, tastes, and beliefs.

To receive Halal certification, first of all, the raw materials, additives, and chemicals used to produce those products must be proven by reliable invoices and records that clearly state the ingredients. Alcohol is not allowed to use in any way directly in the products. Animal-derived ingredients are required to have Halal certification. Especially, the entire production line of Halal products must be separated from non-Halal products. For enterprises with production lines related to pork on the premises of their factories, they must completely separate those production lines from the Halal product line and must have Muslim people (one person per shift) to participate in the production management of Halal products.

Although the Halal food market has such principles, according to the MoIT, enterprises still have to promote marketing and market research, quickly update changes and new consumption trends consumers in these markets. Ms. Le Thi Thanh Mai shared that each import market will have a different Halal certification unit. For instance, the Indonesian market requires Halal MUI certification, which can take enterprises months for preparation and be assessed, appraised, and certified by the competent authorities of Indonesia.

A fair promoting Vietnamese exports was expected to effectively implement the domestic stimulus program for the city.

The Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has announced it would stop the launch of a fair designed to promote Vietnamese exports, which was planned to take place from July 30 to August 2 in the city, due to the reappearance of Covid-19.

Hanoi authorities support local exporters to promote trade and investment cooperation to other countries. Photo: haiquanonline

The department had planned to coordinate with relevant departments and agencies to organize the fair with a view to supporting local exporters in overcoming difficulties and reducing inventories due to the impact of Covid-19.

Opportunities for businesses and consumers

The fair was meant to provide an opportunity for local exporters to strengthen trade connection and investment, by directly connecting exporters with main distribution channels in the city such as AEON, Big C, Vinmart, Lotte, and Hapro, and other international groups in Vietnam to expand markets and boost exports.

In the first six months of 2020, the complicated situation of Covid-19 in many countries caused many Vietnamese import partners to delay orders from April, May and temporarily stop negotiating orders from June onwards.

In addition, the slow clearance process due to enhanced inspection and control of diseases at both export and import terminals increased time and costs, while commodity prices dropped, sharply impacting export activities.

The city’s export slightly dropped by 6.7% compared to the same period in 2019 to US$6.7 billion.

Promotion programs

Litchi fruits are sold at the supermarket in Japan. Photo: Nikkei Asia Review

In the coming time, the department will continue to coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to support local businesses to find alternative sources of raw materials, and to take advantage of incentives from new-generation trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

The department will also organize training programs to disseminate laws and information on import and export markets, international economic integration, legal policies of Vietnam and other countries to take advantage of preferences in international commitments.

Local businesses will have a chance to participate in training courses to improve design, product, market information, management skills as well as application of new technology.

The department will continue to implement trade and investment promotion programs; developing infrastructure, services for import and export, and promoting the involvement of private resources in logistics services.

Universities prioritize students with international language certificates surely motivate Vietnamese students to improve their language skills. Previously, very few schools admitted using this criterion, but more facilities accepted students with international certificates this year.

The University of Technology in Ho Chi Minh City has six separate admission approaches. Students admitted to the university must have international certificates or they must be foreigners. Students without English certificate will have to take English Entrance Test.

The University of Economics and Law admits students base on their academic performance in high schools and English international certificates for a high-qualified training program or programs delivered by English. Candidates must have average academic scores of 7 up ( upon grading scale of 10) or 8 ( as per grading scale of 2); and IELTS certificates from 5,0 points up or ACT certificate from 25 points up.

Teacher Pham Thai Son from the University of Food Industry in HCMC said that the university doesn’t admit students without international certificates straightly but foreign students who graduate the high school examination in their countries according to Vietnam’s present regulations.

Some people said that the fact that universities prioritize students with international certificates upon admission will not be fair for students from rural districts; however, teacher Son said that there have been some preferential policies for those in disadvantaged districts. After all, students should improve their English language skills – a mandatory criterion for university graduates.