This is the third year and the second time in 2024 that Vietnamese Goods Week is held at France's leading supermarket chain. (Photo: KHAI HOAN)

Attending the opening ceremony were Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang; Mr. Vincent Éblé, Senator; Mr. André Yuste, Mayor of Lognes; Mr. Julien Munch, CEO of Carrefour France; Mr. Nhat Thanh Khiem, CEO of distributor T&T Foods; Mr. Christophe, Director of Carrefour Collégien; Representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and local businesses.

This event was held on a larger scale, not only limited to the Carrefour supermarket as in previous times, but also expanded to the entire Collégien Shopping Center. This is the first time visitors have the opportunity to experience a miniature Vietnamese space right in the heart of France, with decorative designs imbued with Vietnamese identity such as village gates, lanterns and images of famous landscapes.

Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang, local authorities and French businesses enjoy Vietnamese specialties. (Photo: KHAI HOAN)

Attending this event were nearly 10 Vietnamese enterprises specializing in supplying goods to the Carrefour distribution system, with their most typical and quality products. Fresh agricultural products such as dragon fruit, mango, grapefruit to processed foods such as fish sauce, pho, cashew nuts were displayed eye-catchingly and introduced in detail so that French consumers could better understand the quality and difference of Vietnamese goods.

These weeks are a testament to the long-term and sustainable cooperation between the Vietnam Trade Office and major supermarket chains. This not only helps maintain the presence of Vietnamese products in supermarkets but also opens up opportunities to expand to other chains or regions in Europe.

Mr. Vu Anh Son, Chief Representative of Vietnam Trade Office in France

One of the highlights of this event was the participation of the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association. The President of the Association attended and introduced typical spice products, most notably pepper - a key export item of Vietnam.

With its superior quality and popularity in Europe, Vietnamese pepper is increasingly asserting its position in the international market. The Association emphasizes the goal of building a sustainable and prestigious brand image, focusing on quality instead of just focusing on quantity and wholesale export.

Locals have the opportunity to learn about Vietnamese heritage at the Carrefour supermarket, one of the largest shopping centers in the Collégien satellite city of the capital Paris. (Photo: KHAI HOAN)

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang emphasized that organizing cultural activities during the weeks, such as art performances, painting exhibitions, or tasting Vietnamese cuisine, not only helps promote products but also strengthens cultural connections, deepening international consumers' recognition and sympathy for Vietnamese culture.

Referring to the cooperative relationship between the two countries, Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang said that Vietnam-France economic cooperation has great opportunities and potential after the bilateral relationship was upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership during the official visit to France by General Secretary and President To Lam in early October.

French consumers increasingly favor Vietnamese products because of their good quality and beautiful designs. (Photo: MINH DUY)

According to Mr. Julien Munch, CEO of Carrefour France, introducing world products to French consumers is one of the important goals of the group. The Vietnamese Goods Week at Carrefour supermarkets will contribute to attracting French consumers to use Vietnamese cuisine and goods.

Representatives of local authorities and Mr. Nhat Thanh Khiem - General Director of TTFoods said that expanding the scale of introducing Vietnamese products is to meet the increasing demand of French consumers.

The words "Welcome to Vietnam" have contributed to creating a bustling shopping atmosphere at the Asian Goods Zone, where there are more Vietnamese products. (Photo: MINH DUY)

Mr. André Yuste, Mayor of Lognes, next to Collégien, said: Our city has about 40% of its population coming from Asian countries, including Vietnam. This has created a diverse cultural identity for our city. And this has also become familiar for decades. Over the past 20 years, Asian cuisine has really developed. More and more French people love Asian food.

Therefore, the initiative to organize a Vietnamese goods week at the Carrefour supermarket chain in the city of Collegien is a good opportunity to promote Vietnamese culinary culture to local people. This event also contributes to further promoting trade relations between France and Vietnam. There is still a lot of potential between the two countries to do better.

Cultural activities during the weeks, such as art performances, painting exhibitions, or Vietnamese cuisine tastings, not only help promote products but also strengthen cultural connections, deepening international consumers' recognition and sympathy for Vietnamese culture. (Photo: KHAI HOAN)

Traditional art performances such as lion dance, conical hat dance and traditional musical instrument performances created a lively and unique festival atmosphere. For the first time, a painting exhibition about famous landscapes of Vietnam such as One Pillar Pagoda, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An Ancient Town, Thanh Chuong tea island in Nghe An province and Sa Pa terraced fields... was held within the framework of the event.

This exhibition space gives visitors the opportunity to admire and feel the beauty of famous tourist destinations, as if they were “traveling on the spot”, discovering the unique features of Vietnamese culture and nature right in the heart of France.

Local distributors are very interested in Vietnamese goods. (Photo: KHAI HOAN)

Vietnam Goods Week is a tripartite cooperation model between the Vietnam Trade Office in France, Carrefour France and TTFoods, aiming at a common goal: building and developing Vietnamese goods brands sustainably in the French market.

These weeks are not only for trade promotion purposes but also create a solid foundation for Vietnamese businesses to penetrate, develop and build sustainable brands abroad.

Thuy Linh