Hoang Gia Seafood established a partnership with the South Korean Association of Seafood Exports for importing fresh abalone to Vietnam. The local seafood supplier also signed deals with the Seoul-based SLS company, which imports and exports frozen fish, with the aim of importing frozen products such as flower crabs, oysters and abalone to serve the local market.

Tran Van Truong, director of Hoang Gia Seafood, said the direct import of seafood from Wando Province in South Korea, which is home to the abalone, will ensure high product quality, adding that the abalone to be sold in the local market will undergo thorough inspections by the South Korean Association of Seafood Exports.

In 16 years of operations, Hoang Gia Seafood has distributed fresh seafood to more than 500 hotels, including InterContinental, Sheraton, Park Hyatt and New World, and restaurant chains, such as Ran Bien and Giang Ghe, across the country. The local supplier targets an import volume of some 15 tons of fresh abalone from South Korea this year.

According to local seafood suppliers, abalone from South Korea is larger than the abalone found in Vietnam. They added that the Korean abalone can live up to one week in man-made basins when kept at an appropriate temperature, contributing to the efficiency of the business.