Workshop pushes Vietnamese exports to UK

                                                        Photo: Duc Anh

Hanoi workshop provides information on penetrating into the UK and notes the importance of brand building.

A workshop was held on September 9 by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency at the Star Galaxy Conference Centre in Hanoi on promoting Vietnamese brands in the UK.

Information was distributed relating to the registration of Vietnamese brands in the UK, support available for Vietnamese enterprises, and building brands to penetrate into the fastidious market.

The main content of the workshop focused on discussing the importance of brands in exports and the strengthening of private Vietnamese brands around the world. The strengths and weaknesses of Vietnamese brands was also analyzed carefully. The status of the UK market and the tastes of British consumers was also discussed.

Mr. Saby Mishra, CEO of J.Walter Thompson Vietnam, told VET that Vietnam has many products of good quality that meet the UK’s high requirements.

“Coffee is a strength of Vietnam in the UK,” he said. “We respect the potential of Vietnamese products. The UK is a competitive market so Vietnamese brands need to adopt communication campaigns.”

Vietnam’s coffee exports to the UK in the first seven months this year reached $53.16 billion, with other key export items being mobile phones and accessories, silk and textiles. Total exports from Vietnam to the UK in the first seven months stood at $2.8 billion, according to Vietnam Customs.

Cooperative relations between Vietnam and the UK is constantly evolving. Since they established diplomatic relations in 1973 Vietnam has received valuable assistance from the UK in its construction and development. The UK is also a market of great potential for Vietnamese brands and the country is willing to import Vietnamese products if they meet requirements.

Besides focusing on their products, enterprises should also pay attention to studying the UK market and have communication campaigns to find success in the UK, according to Mr. Mishra.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Thuy, Commercial Counselor and Head of the Commercial Office at the Embassy of Vietnam in the UK, also spoke of the importance of communications campaigns, likening the absence of such programs to “a beautiful girl in the dark”.

Mr. Do Kim Lang, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, told VET that the difficulty for Vietnamese products entering the UK is that most are processed products. Though many Vietnamese products are available in the UK, Vietnam brand names remain limited.

by Hai Van / vneconomictimes.vn