Hanoi, May 4, 2025 – The Europe Today: Vietnamese businesses have made a strong impression at the SIAL 2025 agriculture and food exhibition in Canada, capitalising on the country’s drive to diversify its markets and supply chains. This year’s participation marked a notable increase in both the number of enterprises and the diversity of products presented by Vietnamese companies.
The Vietnamese pavilion featured a wide array of offerings, ranging from raw input materials for industrial production to high-value processed food items. These included rice, spices, dairy products, and chocolate—innovative product lines that remain relatively new to Canadian and broader North American markets.
According to Trần Thu Quỳnh, Trade Counsellor at the Embassy of Vietnam in Canada, six Vietnamese enterprises participated in this year’s event as suppliers of both raw and processed goods. “These are creative and novel products that represent Vietnam’s evolving food sector and present fresh choices for Canadian consumers and manufacturers,” she said.
Roberto Magnato of the Canadian Export Development agency acknowledged the significant interest among Canadian businesses in deepening trade with Việt Nam. He noted the dual trend of Canadian firms seeking export opportunities to Vietnam, while also sourcing Vietnamese raw materials for domestic processing and manufacturing. He emphasised the strategic role of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in facilitating this bilateral trade.
In recent years, Vietnam has exported over US$10 billion worth of goods annually to Canada, with approximately US$4 billion of that volume passing through the United States due to regional supply chain dependencies. However, with rising trade tensions between Canada and the U.S., more direct pathways are emerging for Vietnamese products to enter the Canadian market.
Lotus Rice Company Sales Director Vũ Thị Huê said the firm’s participation in SIAL 2025 aimed to connect with new customers and partners while gaining deeper insights into the Canadian market. “We see tremendous potential in Canada’s vast and diverse consumer landscape,” she added.
Lê Thị Hoài Thương, Deputy General Director of Viet Pepper Company, expressed the company’s commitment to future participation in such international fairs. She also called for greater support from the Việt Nam Trade Office in Canada and relevant domestic agencies to facilitate market expansion.
Trade statistics from the first two months of 2025 reflect Vietnam’s growing commercial momentum, with exports to Canada reaching US$1.7 billion—an increase of 12.9 per cent compared to the same period last year. If this trend continues, total exports could exceed US$11 billion by year-end, resulting in a trade surplus of approximately US$10 billion.
While ongoing global trade dynamics present certain challenges, officials and industry leaders agree they also offer new opportunities to reinforce supply chain resilience and reduce dependence on any single market. Both Canada and Vietnam appear poised to benefit from this evolving trade landscape.
