The strong shift of the global market is putting Vietnamese food and beverage (F&B) businesses at a new "gateway" of either adapting or being eliminated from the game.
On April 10, at the conference "Green Passport for Vietnamese Food - Roadmap to meet international standards and expand exports for F&B businesses", Ms. Ho Thi Quyen - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Trade and Investment Promotion Center (ITPC) emphasized that 2026 marks a turning point when green standards, transparency and responsibility become prerequisites for penetrating the international market.
According to her, this is not only a challenge but also a strategic opportunity for Vietnamese businesses to reposition their role in the global value chain, shifting from competition with low costs to competition with quality, value and reputation. The "Green Passport" is therefore seen as a platform for Vietnamese products to step out into the world more sustainably.
Currently, F&B businesses are facing three major pressures. The first is a strong change in consumer tastes, as more than 70% of customers are willing to pay higher for environmentally friendly products. The second is increasingly stringent sustainable development criteria from international distribution systems. And finally, mandatory legal regulations related to traceability, emission control and supply chain transparency.
From an expert's perspective, Mr. Hoang Van Viet - Chairman of the Global Intellectual Business Community (GIBA) said that the changes in the global business environment are happening rapidly, especially under the impact of technology. This leads to profound changes in consumer behavior, especially in developed markets such as Europe, the US or Japan.
Consumers in these markets no longer only care about quality or price, but increasingly pay attention to social responsibility, environmental factors and product sustainability. Therefore, businesses wanting to expand exports must meet both advanced standards, not just stop at traditional requirements.
In that context, "green visa" or "green passport" is understood as an overall concept, not just a single certification but a collection of criteria from product quality, labels, packaging to international standards. This is the "passport" to help businesses reach consumers in demanding markets.
However, according to Ms. Liney Weishappel - General Director and Co-founder of AllMadeViet, to achieve these certifications, businesses need to start from internal review, identifying stages that can be improved and choosing the right target market. From there, build a suitable certification system instead of running trends in a scattered way.
She also emphasized the role of marketing and communication in the process of conquering international markets. Businesses need to be flexible in their approach, understand how to "enter" each market. In particular, the language factor cannot be underestimated, having a team that uses English proficiently is necessary to avoid errors in communication.
A noteworthy point is the response speed. In an international business environment, businesses only have about 7 days to keep customer attention. Delays in response can cause partners to switch to other options. Therefore, timely communication, even just confirming that information has been received, also plays an important role in building trust.
In the long term, trust is not built through just one order, but through a continuous process. For international buyers, three key factors remain: delivery capacity, product quality and transparency in communication.
