Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu acts as store manager in Roppongi to promote Vietnamese broken rice at Matsuya. Photo: Xuan Giao/VNA reporter in Japan

The official appearance on the menu at more than 1,000 stores of the Matsuya system, one of Japan's largest fast food chains, is considered an important milestone in the journey of Vietnamese cuisine continuing to conquer the Japanese market.

With the desire to promote Vietnamese broken rice in particular and Vietnamese cuisine in general, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu attended and actively played the role of promoting and introducing the unique features of Vietnamese dishes to a large number of Japanese reporters present at the event.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu in his role as store manager in Roppongi serves Japanese diners Vietnamese broken rice at Matsuya. Photo: Nguyen Tuyen/VNA reporter in Japan

Matsuya representative, Ms. Aya Aoki, said that during the field survey to open a store in Vietnam, the company team discovered broken rice and was attracted by its flavor. From there, Matsuya came up with the idea of ​​recreating the flavor of Vietnamese broken rice in Japan. In April 2025, a trial sales program was conducted at a number of selected stores. Thanks to the smooth operation and positive feedback from customers, Matsuya decided to launch Vietnamese broken rice at 1,112 stores nationwide. This is an important milestone in the cooperation process, affirming the success of bringing a Vietnamese dish to a large Japanese restaurant chain.

Ms. Aya Aoki, representative of Matsuya system, answered the interview of VNA reporter. Photo: Xuan Giao/VNA reporter in Japan

Vietnamese Trade Counselor in Japan, Mr. Ta Duc Minh, said that the official appearance of Vietnamese broken rice at Matsuya restaurant chain can be considered a turning point in the journey of bringing Vietnamese cuisine to the world . He said that Vietnamese broken rice at Matsuya will be served with traditional Vietnamese fish sauce. This is also the first time traditional Vietnamese fish sauce - a typical spice and symbol of Vietnamese culinary culture - has been used in the preparation of dishes at a large restaurant chain in Japan.

According to Mr. Ta Duc Minh, to serve the launch of Vietnamese broken rice at Matsuya, 10 tons of fish sauce were imported directly from Vietnam and brought to Matsuya's processing plant. Mr. Ta Duc Minh commented that this not only proves the quality and suitability of Vietnamese products for the Japanese market, but also opens a new direction for exporting Vietnamese spices, ingredients and processed foods to Japan.

He expressed his hope that this cooperation model will be an important premise for many other Vietnamese food products, from rice, coffee to vegetables and processed foods, to gradually conquer the Japanese market. In addition, this will also contribute to further strengthening the Vietnam-Japan trade cooperation relationship, bringing Vietnamese agricultural products and food to more Japanese customers in the future.

Traditional Vietnamese broken rice dish with fish sauce at Matsuya. Photo: Nguyen Tuyen/VNA reporter in Japan

Mr. Kiyoshi Muramatsu, a Japanese diner, shared that this was the first time he had enjoyed Vietnamese broken rice and he would enjoy it many more times. When enjoying Vietnamese broken rice, he felt the balance of all the ingredients, typical of Vietnamese cuisine and very fresh.

He said that as a unit importing Vietnamese spices to Japan for many years, he has long recognized the unique spices and ingredients used in Vietnamese cuisine. He believes that Vietnamese cuisine is really profound, with a balance between meat and vegetables so it will not be boring. He believes that Vietnamese cuisine is very diverse and wants to learn more about Vietnamese cuisine, continue to enjoy other Vietnamese dishes on future visits to Vietnam.

According to statistics from the Vietnam Trade Office in Japan, in the first 6 months of 2025, the total import-export turnover between Vietnam and Japan reached nearly 24.4 billion USD, an increase of 9.93% over the same period in 2024. Of which, exports of goods from Vietnam to Japan reached 12.81 billion USD, an increase of 11.79% over the same period in 2025; Vietnam's imports from Japan reached more than 11.59 billion USD, an increase of 7.96% over the same period in 2024.

With the above positive growth figures, Counselor Ta Duc Minh said that Japan has a population of more than 126 million people, is a market with large import and consumption demand for products in which Vietnam has strengths such as: agricultural, forestry and fishery products (fruits, frozen foods, seafood, wood products, etc.); processed and manufactured products: textiles, footwear; means of transport, spare parts, etc. According to him, this is a very favorable factor for Vietnam to continue promoting the export of these products to the Japanese market.

According to baotintuc.vn

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/com-tam-viet-nam-xuat-hien-trong-thuc-don-cua-he-thong-an-nhanh-hang-dau-nhat-ban-157120.html