Vietnamese branded items are widely seen on the shelves of Woolworth - one of the two largest supermarket chains in Australia – as the Year of the Ox draws near.

In addition to products that have long become familiar to Australian consumers such as instant coffee, bottled coconut water, confectionery, cashew nuts, dry vermicelli, etc., this year, the Woolworth supermarket chain also offers other typical Vietnamese products such as bottled cotton scrub, alum sugar, coconut-colored water, according to Nguyen Thanh Ha, a Vietnamese national living in Melbourne city, Victoria.

Meanwhile, Dang Hoang Mai, an overseas student studying in Melbourne, said that she was proud to see Vietnamese products on the shelves of Australia's largest supermarket chain. She said Vietnamese Australians could now prepare Vietnamese dishes with full ingredients and flavors.

In recent years, the export of agricultural products and processed food from Vietnam to Australia has been growing. At Coles Supermarket, a competitor to Woolworth, processed squid, shrimp, and basa fish are always available on the frozen stalls. On the food stalls, "made in Vietnam" steamed shrimp products have long been a favorite item for Australian housewives. In Asian food stores, in addition, to dry and processed foods, fresh fruits from Vietnam are also gradually attracting more attention of traders.

Head of the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia Nguyen Phu Hoa said that in the first 11 months of 2020, the total volume of Australian imports decreased by 6% year-on-year. However, Vietnam's exports to Australia increased by over 2.65% compared to 2019. Customs statistics show that the total bilateral trade between Vietnam and Australia increased 3.94% year on year, reaching 8.2 billion USD.

According to Mr. Nguyen Phu Hoa, Vietnamese goods come in a wide diversity in terms of designs, types and quality. In 2020, the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia has implemented a number of promotional programs for Vietnamese products such as red dragon fruit, durian and building materials. By the end of 2020, many export items from Vietnam to Australia experience a high increase in comparision to 2019.

As for trade activities for the Lunar New Year this year, r. Nguyen Phu Hoa emphasized that the Trade Office has actively supported promotion programs to sell goods and foods to serve overseas Vietnamese at supermarkets in Australia. On related media channels and websites, the Trade Office also gave lucky draw prizes to attract more buyers, at the same time promote Vietnamese branded products to local people.

Jasmine Le