POLISH BUSINESSES SEEK FOOD EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES IN VIETNAM

Polish businesses are looking to expand food exports to Vietnam and to source shrimp, pepper and other Vietnamese agricultural products for the domestic market.

Photo: Ministry of Industry and Trade

On August 6, as part of the “Europe Full of Flavours - Tradition and Quality” programme, the Embassy of Poland in Vietnam, the Polish Investment and Trade Agency in Vietnam, and the Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KIGCP) held a Vietnam - Poland business networking event in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking at the event, Tomasz Parzybut, CEO of the Association of Polish Butchers, Producers and Processors, said Vietnam was currently Poland’s third-largest market for pork exports. In 2025 alone, Polish pork exports to Vietnam increased by 34 per cent.

“This result reflects the growing trade ties between the two countries,” Parzybut said.

He added that Polish businesses were coming to Vietnam not only to explore opportunities to export Polish specialities, but also to seek quality raw materials and agricultural products from Vietnam.

One company in the delegation visited a Vietnamese shrimp processing facility and is planning to import shrimp to develop shrimp burger products in Poland. Polish businesses are also looking for Vietnamese spices, including pepper.

Bui Thi Ninh, deputy director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Ho Chi Minh City Branch, said Polish businesses had, over the years, brought a wide range of high-quality food products, including apples, meat and dairy products, closer to Vietnamese consumers.

"The two economies are highly complementary, with Poland being one of Europe’s leading food production and processing hubs, while Vietnam is a dynamic consumer market and a gateway to the wider ASEAN region," she said.

Andrzej Arendarski, president of the Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said there remains significant room to expand trade cooperation between the two countries, particularly in agriculture and food.

“However, to make better use of this potential, Vietnamese products need to be promoted more strongly in Poland so that consumers become more familiar with them, including Vietnamese coffee,” he said.

Paweł Meyner, chief veterinary officer at Poland’s General Veterinary Inspectorate, said Polish food products comply with the European Union’s strictest standards.

“The entire production chain, from livestock breeding, reproduction and animal nutrition to slaughtering, processing and distribution, is closely controlled to ensure epidemiological and microbiological safety,” he said.

Thanks to compliance with these standards, 167 Polish businesses are currently licensed to export agricultural and food products to Vietnam. Polish products already available on the Vietnamese market include meat, including frozen meat, milk and dairy products, fruit juices, snacks and confectionery.

In 2025, Poland exported around 12,000 tonnes of pork to Vietnam, up 34 per cent on-year.

According to Bożena Wróblewska, chairwoman of the Promotion Centre under KIGCP, Poland currently exports an average of around 780,000 tonnes of apples annually to international markets.

For Vietnam, Poland exported around 1,500 tonnes of fresh apples in 2025.

“Poland expects apple exports to Vietnam to continue increasing this year, although official statistics are not yet available,” she said.

Source: VIR