“Awakening” the potential of the Halal industry

DNVN - Vietnam has many opportunities to build and develop the Halal industry into an important part of the national economy, participating deeply and effectively in the global Halal market based on 3 main favorable factors.

That was the assessment of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the conference “Connecting the Mekong Delta agricultural supply chain with the Middle East - Africa: The strategic role of the UAE”, which took place in Tay Ninh province on the afternoon of August 22.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang (in blue shirt) and UAE Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Vietnam Bader Almatrooshi at the conference.

Accordingly, Vietnam has strengths in production, export and development of agriculture , food, tourism, textiles, etc. The market is wide open with 17 free trade agreements (FTAs), including many new generation, regional and inter-regional FTAs ​​that have been signed. In particular, on April 24, 2024, the Vietnamese science and technology sector announced the decision to establish the National Halal Certification Center (HALCERT), helping to unify state management in the field of Halal certification.

The market is "asleep"

At the conference, Ms. Nguyen Minh Hang - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs said that the UAE, with its position as a global logistics center, is considered a gateway for Vietnamese goods to penetrate deeper into the Middle East and Africa. In 2024, bilateral trade turnover will reach 6.5 billion USD, an increase of 37% compared to the previous year, but the potential for cooperation is still very large.

According to Deputy General Director of Thanh Thanh Cong - Bien Hoa Joint Stock Company (AgriS) Huynh Van Phap, Vietnam is affirming its role as a food sponsor country and a bright spot of peace, stability and potential, ready to enter an era of growth.

“This is the golden time to open up strategic cooperation, create new values ​​and promote Vietnam's economy to reach the region and the world. In particular, Vietnam is considered a country with great potential and prospects for developing Halal products,” Mr. Phap commented.

Director of the Middle East - Africa Department Nguyen Phuong Tra moderated the discussion session.

Mr. La Trong Ky - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho City said that in the period of 2021 - 2025, Can Tho's agricultural sector has been focusing on restructuring towards modernity, greenness, cleanliness, diversity and sustainability.

“The locality has developed concentrated agricultural raw material areas that meet standards for stable export, in which the orientation of expanding the city's agricultural and aquatic product consumption market according to Halal certification requirements is an important trend in the local agricultural and food export strategy towards the Middle East market and other countries in the world,” Mr. La Trong Ky acknowledged.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Cong Hoang - Institute for South Asian, West Asian and African Studies (ISAWAAS); Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) said that Halal economic cooperation: "a sleeping market". According to him, the Halal economy is emerging strongly with a global market size estimated at 8,000 billion USD, forecast to increase to 12,000 billion USD in the next 5 years.

“Vietnam has many natural advantages such as geographical location near Asian Muslim markets, abundant agricultural raw materials to develop the Halal industry, but still faces challenges in standards and certification. Currently, very few Vietnamese enterprises are granted Halal certification, Halal export turnover is estimated to reach 700 million USD in 2024,” Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Cong Hoang explained.

Opportunities for agricultural products

According to Vice Chairman of Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Thanh, this conference is an important opportunity to promote the potential and strengths of the locality as well as the Mekong Delta region to the Middle East and African markets.

“Tay Ninh currently has 37,465 enterprises, of which 48 enterprises import and export through the UAE with a turnover of 82.3 million USD in the first 7 months of 2025. Notably, the province has 57 enterprises granted Halal certificates, opening up great prospects in connecting, promoting agricultural product consumption and market development,” said the Vice Chairman of Tay Ninh province.

Vice Chairman of Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Thanh spoke .

Representative of Vietnam Association of Science and Technology Enterprises, Mr. Phu Tuong Nguyen Dung - General Director of Sa Sam Viet Joint Stock Company shared that the Mekong Delta is a granary of rice and fruit where agriculture is very developed in Vietnam. However, in the current situation, the economy is no longer simply agriculture, but the trend is towards high-tech agriculture and value chains, which is also an advantage for the Mekong Delta.

“I believe that with the Government’s policies, especially Resolution 57, the Mekong Delta will have breakthroughs in creating quality products, with transparency that satisfies Halal quality requirements,” said Mr. Dung, emphasizing the role of science and technology in researching and developing ginseng products with active ingredients that are no less than those of Korea, the US, etc.

Mr. Phu Tuong Nguyen Dung - representative of Vietnam Association of Science and Technology Enterprises, presented on the role of high-tech agriculture.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho City La Trong Ky said that in 2019, the locality cooperated with RSD Management Solution (Malaysia) to establish the first Vietnam - Malaysia Halal Certification Center in the Mekong Delta.

In general, Halal certified products are a new, potential and sustainable direction for Can Tho City in developing agricultural products and exports. With the strength of high quality products, increasingly complete infrastructure and support from the Halal certification center, Can Tho has the potential to become a leading center for exporting agricultural products to the Middle Eastern markets.

However, Halal standards are increasingly expanding, while the certification process and high certification costs are major barriers for small and medium-sized enterprises wanting to enter this market. Therefore, up to now, the export of Halal-certified products is still difficult.

The Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho City recommended that it is necessary to further strengthen promotion and connection with markets in the Middle East region to create conditions for businesses to export Halal-certified agricultural, forestry and fishery products.

Focus on attracting and calling for investment in the agricultural sector and supporting investment in science and technology for deep processing to increase product added value. At the same time, establish a synchronous legal framework to manage products and services according to Halal standards and strengthen coordination in providing information on export markets, especially new markets.

Mr. La Trong Ky - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho City proposed many contents to remove export barriers according to Halal standards.

UAE Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Vietnam Bader Almatrooshi said that the conference is expected to become an important bridge, contributing to supporting businesses in Tay Ninh and the Mekong Delta provinces to access new markets, promote agricultural exports, towards the goal of sustainable development and long-term prosperity for both countries.

He affirmed that UAE corporations such as Dubai Port World, Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, and Lulu Group are actively supporting the introduction of Mekong Delta agricultural products to the world through global logistics and distribution systems. “The global Halal food industry is forecast to exceed 6,000 billion USD by 2033, and Vietnam is in a favorable position to seize this opportunity with the support and companionship of the UAE,” Ambassador Bader Almatrooshi emphasized.

Through comprehensive exchanges and discussions from the perspectives of the Government, businesses, and researchers on measures to further promote the relationship between Vietnam and the UAE, especially promoting the supply of agricultural products in the Mekong Delta region.

Director of the Middle East - Africa Department Nguyen Phuong Tra said that in the coming time, through the embassies and chambers of commerce and industry of the two countries. Enterprises will proactively approach to promote the relationship and create specific projects, this is a topic that the Prime Minister always mentioned "must be specific with projects". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is committed to accompanying and the Middle East - Africa Department will act as a bridge.

Thai Cuong

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/kinh-te/kinh-doanh/-danh-thuc-tiem-nang-nganh-hang-halal/20250823080748796