Strengthening the promotion of Vietnamese rice in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

On August 15, at the Harbourview Hotel in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China), the Vietnam Food Association coordinated with the Ministry of Industry and Trade , the Consulate General of Vietnam in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Rice Importers Association to organize a trade connection workshop to promote Vietnamese rice products.

The workshop attracted the participation of about 40 large Vietnamese rice and agricultural product exporting enterprises and representatives of Hong Kong rice trading enterprises.

In his opening speech, Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association Do Ha Nam said the workshop aimed to create conditions for rice businesses of the two associations to update the production, trade and consumption situation of rice in Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Vietnamese businesses have introduced their highest-end rice products to Hong Kong rice importers in the hope of opening a new chapter in trade between the two sides.

Rice exports to Hong Kong have decreased significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic. The association wants to take this opportunity to find out the causes and propose solutions to bring Vietnam's rice exports to the Hong Kong market back to pre-2020 levels.

After reviewing the main features of the recent Vietnam-Hong Kong relationship, Ms. Le Duc Hanh, Consul General of Vietnam in Hong Kong and Macau, commented that rice import and export plays a traditional and relatively stable role in the trade relationship between Vietnam and Hong Kong, believing that this field still has a lot of room for development for both sides.

Ms. Le Duc Hanh, Consul General of Vietnam in Hong Kong and Macau, spoke at the conference.

Recently, Vietnam has developed many new high-quality rice varieties, innovated farming methods towards environmental friendliness, and applied advanced science and technology in all stages from cultivation, harvesting, processing, packaging, to preservation and export.

The Consulate General, especially the Trade Office, has actively supported the promotion and introduction of Vietnamese rice products in Hong Kong for many years.

Ms. Le Duc Hanh said that this conference as well as the ongoing Hong Kong international food exhibition are good opportunities to promote new rice products, new rice varieties, advanced techniques and technologies, thereby promoting trade between Vietnam and Hong Kong.

She also hopes that Hong Kong - with its role as a "super-connector" and "super-value-added" economy - and Vietnam - a rapidly developing economy, can together explore new markets and new forms of cooperation.

Ms. Le Duc Hanh suggested that the two associations explore the possibility of cooperation with businesses and carbon credit trading platforms to promote and take advantage of added value due to emission reduction in rice cultivation and processing.

Such partnerships not only benefit importers and exporters and farmers, but also benefit the planet, she added.

Mr. Kenneth Chan - Chairman of the Hong Kong Rice Importers Association said this is a good opportunity for the two associations to update market information as well as strengthen the relationship.

Hong Kong has a population of over 7.5 million and almost no agricultural land, completely dependent on rice imports. Vietnam is one of the world's largest rice exporters and remains the second largest rice exporter to Hong Kong.

Vietnamese rice varieties and rice products were promoted at the conference.

Mr. Kenneth Chan said that rice importers in Hong Kong began importing many types of rice from Vietnam since the early 1990s, however, it was not until 2008 that the market share of Vietnamese rice increased sharply, especially in the period from 2008-2013.

However, since 2014, Vietnam's rice market share has fluctuated greatly, falling to about 16% in 2017, then increasing again to about 27% in 2021. According to the latest statistics, this market share is currently about 20% in the first half of 2025.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nghiem - General Secretary of the Vietnam Food Association said that the association's strategic goal in the coming time is to diversify rice export markets, specifically consolidating traditional markets and developing new potential markets.

Linking rice export activities with the production value chain, ensuring quality, food safety, environmental protection, fulfilling community responsibility, affirming the prestige and brand of Vietnamese rice in the world rice trade market. Therefore, over the years, the association has always actively implemented rice trade in many countries and regions, including Hong Kong.

Ms. Vu Thi Thuy, Deputy Consul General and Head of the Vietnam Trade Office in Hong Kong, said that Vietnamese rice has a fairly stable position in the Hong Kong market and currently has the second largest market share among rice exporting countries to Hong Kong, after Thailand.

In the context of Vietnamese rice having increasingly higher quality, many diverse products, many good rice varieties, prestige and high appreciation in international markets as well as in the Hong Kong market, Hong Kong people also really like Vietnamese rice, hopefully this year and in the coming years, the amount of rice exported to Hong Kong will increase.

Vietnam can also take advantage of Hong Kong’s role as a transit point to export rice to Hong Kong and other markets. Ms. Vu Thi Thuy hopes that this trade will contribute to connecting businesses on both sides for better development and cooperation.

According to data from the Hong Kong Trade and Industry Bureau, the volume of rice exported from Vietnam to Hong Kong in 2024 will reach 46,400 tons, accounting for about 18.1% of the special administrative region's rice market share.

In the first 6 months of 2025, the amount of Vietnamese rice exported to Hong Kong reached 25,700 tons, accounting for about 20.2% of Hong Kong's rice market share, an increase of 22.3%.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Khoa, Deputy Director of Phuoc Thanh II Limited Liability Company, said that this is a very good opportunity for potential rice businesses, high-quality rice, and valuable products to introduce to Hong Kong customers.

Hong Kong businesses are very fond of Vietnamese fragrant rice. We hope that through this trade exchange, businesses from both sides will have more connections and cooperation with each other.

At the workshop, representatives of the Import-Export Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnam Food Association and the Hong Kong Rice Importers Association shared and updated the mechanism and situation of Vietnamese rice and the import of rice into Hong Kong, thereby helping the parties have more opportunities to learn about Vietnam's rice import-export policies and markets, thereby contributing to promoting trade cooperation between the two sides.

Within the framework of the trade promotion trip, the delegation of businesses and the Vietnam Food Association visited the Hong Kong International Food Fair, visited the booth of the Consulate General of Vietnam in Hong Kong and businesses with very typical products for the food industry being promoted at the fair.

vietnamplus.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/tang-cuong-quang-ba-gao-viet-nam-tai-dac-khu-hanh-chinh-hong-kong-post879763.html