AWEX at Food and Hotel Vietnam – December 202208/03/2023

From 7 to 9 December  2022, the Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX) was present at the "Food & Hotel Vietnam" exhibition with a very nice pavilion of 72 m². We were pleased and proud to feature our co-exhibiting companies : Avieta, producer of premium Belgian waffles, Brasserie du Bocq a reputed craft beer brewing company, Lutosa, Belgium's leading manufacturer of frozen potato chips, and PMSweet, presenting its range of sweet and savoury macaroons. All four attracted a great deal of interest from the visitors, who enjoyed sampling their products.

We also organised live Belgian beer tasting sessions in our dedicated area called "The Belgian Craft Beer Theatre". During the show, we organised no less than 8 live tasting sessions over three days, led by the experienced brewmaster Cuong Nguyen Van. About 15 beers from the Brasserie de Silly, the Brasserie du Bocq, Houblonde and Superfood Beers were showcased.

« We estimate that around 200 people, craft beer enthusiasts and beverage industry professionals, attended the event in our "Belgian Craft Beer Theatre" » says Jean-Pierre Muller, head of the AWEX office in HCMC. « Organising those sessions was a real logistical challenge, as after each tasting session, the setup of the space was rearranged as a classic hospitality area to welcome our visitors on the pavilion. And we didn't know at the beginning if people would take the bait and agree to devote the 45 minutes that each session lasted. But in the end, all the seats were taken every time and people stayed until the end. »

The food & beverage sector is clearly one of the most sophisticated and fastest growing in Vietnam. Food and beverage products together account for 46% of total household expenditure. The middle class in Vietnam is currently estimated at 33 million people. And those are becoming more interested and willing to pay for healthy and high-quality products.

« The prospects for our companies are enormous. » says Muller. « In 2023, our office plans to organise a multi-sector trade mission to Vietnam in September. The mission will be open to all companies but food & beverage will be among the priority sectors. It will be the ideal moment for the companies who participated or were represented at FHV to come (back) to Vietnam to follow-up on these leads given the very large potential market. »