Great opportunities for Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products
Australia is currently Vietnam's largest trading partner in the Oceania region and is also Vietnam's largest export market to Oceania, with a proportion of up to 88%.
According to statistics from Vietnam Customs, in January 2025, total bilateral turnover reached more than 1.5 billion USD. Of which, Vietnam's exports to Australia were a bright spot, recording an increase of 13.9% over the same period.
Australia is also one of few major export markets with an increase of over 10% in context of the country's exports witnessing a decrease of 4.3%.
Mr. Nguyen Phu Hoa - Head of Vietnam Trade Office in Australia - said that among industries that Vietnam exports to this market, agriculture, forestry, fishery and vegetables are the industries with the most room. Australian consumers favor Vietnamese goods.
Up to now, Vietnamese agriculture, fishery and food have been widely distributed in Australia and are present in remote areas such as Northern Territory of Australia.
“In 2024, agricultural and vegetable exports to Australia reached more than 111 million USD, an increase of more than 25% over the same period; seafood exports reached more than 343 million USD, an increase of more than 9%, coffee increased by 48.3%, rice increased by more than 17%, confectionery increased by more than 23%, rubber increased by more than 17%...
This is a very impressive growth rate. This result shows that Vietnam's agricultural, aquatic and vegetable products have a great opportunity to boost exports to Australia in 2025" - Mr. Nguyen Phu Hoa commented.
Sharing about driving forces for trade between Vietnam and Australia in recent years, including trade in agricultural, forestry and fishery products, Mr. Nguyen Phu Hoa said that free trade agreements (FTAs), especially new generation FTAs such as RCEP, CPTPP...and cooperation frameworks have been creating many competitive advantages for Vietnamese goods to penetrate deeper into the Australian market.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Mien Ha - Director of Foreign Markets of Sao Thai Duong Joint Stock Company - said that CPTPP Agreement coming into effect has brought attractive tariffs to Sao Thai Duong's export goods, helping to reduce product costs and increase competitive advantages.
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Luan - General Director of Global Trade Links Company Limited (Meet & More Coffee) - said that FTAs have greatly supported businesses' goods to reach foreign markets.
“For example, through CPTPP, Meet & More Coffee's instant coffee products have enjoyed a 0% tax rate when exported to Australia. This is a driving force for businesses to invest in technology and focus more on quality of exported products”, said Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Luan.
According to Mr. Luan, in order for Vietnamese goods to be more present in Australia, building product and industry brands is one of the tasks that Meet & More Coffee focuses on implementing.
Sharing experiences in building agricultural product brands in Australia, a representative of Meet & More Coffee said that first of all, it is necessary to research consumer behavior of Australian people, then build specific strategies for each industry.
“Since 2020, when exporting to Australia, we have identified main potential customers as overseas Vietnamese - Vietnamese community living in Australia. They are both customers and a channel to introduce and promote Vietnamese goods to Australian friends” - Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Luan informed and added that business also regularly participates in promoting goods at fairs, exhibitions and Vietnamese markets to increase recognition.
Expanding export sectors and industries
Australia is a potential market for Vietnamese goods but it is one of the most demanding markets in the world with many requirements for high product quality standards and strict import procedures.
Specifically analyzing, Mr. Nguyen Phu Hoa said that Australia has very strict technical barriers, labeling requirements and food hygiene and safety, some standards are even higher than those of the United States and the EU.
Not only that, Australia also requires many import regulations such as: Tax policies and tax rates; regulations on packaging and labeling; regulations on food hygiene and safety, quarantine; intellectual property rights; trademarks; business practices...
“Therefore, if they want to penetrate Australian market, Vietnamese agricultural, forestry and fishery export enterprises need to prioritize product quality, instead of price. In addition, Australian consumers also pay attention to packaging, design and brand,” Mr. Nguyen Phu Hoa recommended.
Ready to meet Australian standards, since 2020 when identifying Australia as a key market, Meet & More Coffee has focused on deep processing, gradually shaping its brand in Australia.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Luan said that Australian consumers have very high requirements for safety. In particular, food products need to be inspected to meet criteria before being granted an import license. Even if you go to big supermarkets, requirements will be even higher, in addition to food safety and hygiene criteria, technology, there are also welfare criteria...
Committed to supporting businesses exporting to Australian market, Mr. Nguyen Phu Hoa said that trade office is actively paving the way for new products. For example, with fresh chicken from Vietnam, although Australia has not yet allowed imports, trade office has coordinated with importer M-import and supermarkets to bring about 15,000 processed black chicken products for consumers in Western Australia and Queensland to try at supermarkets.
Or as with Ca Mau crab products, trade office also recommends that Vietnamese businesses focus on quality, processing and packaging according to Australian regulations to build brands, gradually penetrating this market.
"Mud crab in Australia (similar to Ca Mau) has a very high price and the quality is not as typical, with a lot of roe as Ca Mau crab, so if it can be processed and packaged according to the regulations of this country, this will be a product with a lot of potential" - Mr. Nguyen Phu Hoa informed and recommended that in recent months, prices of agricultural and aquatic products in Australia have been good so businesses need to boost exports in the first months of 2025.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn