Luscious Vietnamese Lychees Hit German Supermarket Shelves

The “Vietnam Day” event, organized by the Vietnamese Trade Office in Germany in collaboration with the Selgros wholesale supermarket chain and the Bac Giang Province Trade Promotion Delegation, is a significant platform to promote Vietnamese produce, specifically lychees – a unique specialty – and other agricultural products to German consumers. Germany is considered a demanding yet potential market in Europe.

Notably, the event attracted the participation of important representatives from the Embassy of Vietnam in Germany, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance of Vietnam, and the Secretary-General of the Commercial Attaché Club of the countries in Germany, Mr. Rainier Schubert, along with nearly 40 businesses from both countries specializing in consulting and import-export. This strong presence highlights the keen interest in Vietnamese agricultural products.

Vietnam Day promotes lychees and other Vietnamese agricultural products to German consumers.

In his speech, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany, Vu Quang Minh, referred to the event as the “Vietnam Agricultural Products Festival” at Selgros, one of Germany’s largest wholesale supermarket chains. He highlighted that lychees from Bac Giang province stand out not only for their attractive appearance but also for their distinctive flavor. There are high expectations for their success in the German market and potentially the whole of Europe. The trade promotion event, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, is considered a significant advantage.

From a trade representative’s perspective, Ms. Dang Thi Thanh Phuong, Commercial Counselor of Vietnam in Germany, shared that Vietnamese fruits and agricultural products are already present in the German market, including familiar items such as coffee, tea, seafood, and spices. However, other potential products like lychees from Bac Giang remain relatively unknown. Therefore, the introduction of lychees at this event was highly appreciated by the Selgros system, opening up prospects for long-term cooperation.

Locally, Mr. Nghiem Xuan Huong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Council of Bac Giang, expressed that this trade promotion activity is practically significant for the province. Bac Giang has approximately 30,000 hectares of lychee trees, accounting for over 60% of the province’s fruit tree area. With a modern system for preprocessing, packaging, and logistics, Bac Giang’s lychees have been exported to more than 30 countries and territories, meeting stringent technical and food safety standards.

Ambassador Vu Quang Minh (right) expresses his gratitude to Mr. Marco Berger, Executive Director of Selgros Lichtenberg, for bringing Vietnamese agricultural products closer to German consumers. (Photo: Phuong Hoa/ VNA)

Beyond lychees, German consumers had the opportunity to experience other distinctive Vietnamese agricultural products during the event, such as grapefruit, dragon fruit, fresh coconuts, and coffee – items that are increasingly making their mark in the international market.

From the perspective of the distribution partner, Mr. Marco Berger, Executive Director of the Selgros supermarket chain’s Lichtenberg branch, affirmed his readiness to accompany Vietnamese businesses in bringing more high-quality products to German consumers. Ambassador Vu Quang Minh also acknowledged the positive contribution of Mr. Nguyen Ho Nam, customer advisor at Selgros, in supporting the connection and introduction of Vietnamese products into the German distribution system.

Notably, German and European partners like Mova Plus JSC and Linsan Imex s.r.o. are actively enhancing cooperation to expand the market share of Bac Giang lychees and other Vietnamese agricultural products in the European market.

Amid the flourishing Vietnam-Germany relations, especially in trade, “Vietnam Day” serves not only as a promotional event but also as an essential bridge to foster multi-sectoral cooperation between the two countries, encompassing agriculture, logistics, and tourism. Germany is currently Vietnam’s largest trading partner in the European Union, while Vietnam is Germany’s leading trade partner in ASEAN. This solid foundation sets the stage for further expansion of cooperation between the two sides in the future.