Vietnamese cuisine "attracts" Korean tourists
Southeast Asia is becoming a channel to diversify Korea's trade relations, in which Vietnam plays a key role. Food imports from this region, especially Vietnam, are on the rise in the Korean market. According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in 2024, Vietnam's import and export to Korea will achieve a fairly high growth rate and recover very quickly.
The Korean market is opening up many opportunities for Vietnamese businesses, especially after the Vietnam - Korea Free Trade Agreement took effect from the end of 2015.
According to a survey by the Agoda travel platform, in terms of cuisine, Korean tourists are the top countries attracted to Vietnamese cuisine, followed by Japan and Thailand. Tourists from these three countries also decided to choose Vietnam as their destination, with the desire to experience the cuisine.
However, besides the advantages, businesses also face significant challenges.
Is Korea "difficult" for Southeast Asia, "easy" for Vietnamese cuisine?
The Korean market is considered one of the most competitive markets in the world. Vietnamese enterprises not only face domestic competitors but also have to compete with enterprises from other countries such as ASEAN and Central and South America.
Furthermore, product quality standards in Korea are often higher than in Europe and the US. To be successful in this market, Vietnamese enterprises need to continuously improve product quality, meet strict requirements on food safety and hygiene, environmental protection and other technical standards. Along with that is the need to persistently appear and increase brand recognition in Korea.
Dh Foods' next push
As a demanding import market, with high and detailed standards for each agricultural product, processed spices, etc., many Vietnamese enterprises have recently caught the attention of Korean buyers and retailers. This shows that the path for Vietnamese products to reach this market is getting closer.
Like other businesses in the consumer goods, F&B, and food spices industries around the world, Dh Foods - a company specializing in Vietnamese regional specialty spices - is having an eye-catching, quality "show" at the Seoul Food & Hotel 2025 (SFH) event. Because this is not only a place where the most advanced trends in the F&B field converge, but also offers a rare opportunity for manufacturers, suppliers, and experts to connect, learn, and expand the international market.
According to Mr. Nguyen Trung Dung, Founder and General Director of Dh Foods, with its outstanding scale and diversity of displayed products, Seoul Food & Hotel 2025 is an ideal destination for international businesses on their journey to conquer the Korean market - one of the largest and most developed economies in the world.
This is the second time Dh Foods has come to this arena. The company's luggage to continue conquering partners and customers in Korea this time is the typical Vietnamese seasoning products that are suitable for the Korean market. Specifically: Spring roll dipping sauce, Complete seasoning for cooking various types of Pho, Complete seasoning for Curry, Beef stew, Salted egg sauce, Cheese sauce, Kumquat sauce, Nha Trang salt and chili lemon sauce... In addition, Dh Foods also introduces a new product group, new rice fiber products: Vermicelli, Pho, Rice paper, Quang noodles, Udon, Spaghetti from rice.
With such an attractive product range, Dh Foods is confident in conquering Korean customers and partners. Moreover, Dh Foods products all go through a careful selection and production process and achieve BRCGS certification (a voluntary standard for food safety management - one of the certification systems recognized by GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative); HALAL standards (specifically for the Muslim market) and FDA (strict regulations of the US Food and Drug Administration) ... Therefore, the products ensure food safety, suitable for the international market and all subjects.
Mr. Dung shared: "To convince consumers, regardless of domestic or foreign, businesses must do a thorough job and persistently convince by standardizing products. We must make Korean consumers trust us, use good materials, no chemicals, have a clear production process, and meet food hygiene and safety standards."
Source of article: Anh Duong. (2025, June 13). Is Korea “difficult” for Southeast Asia, “easy” for Vietnamese cuisine?. CafeF. https://cafef.vn/han-quoc-kho-voi-dong-nam-a-de-voi-am-thuc-viet-188250612195148221.chn
