Taste the Wonders of Australia Vietnam

Some of Australia’s finest beef and lamb will be on show at the Taste the Wonders of Australia Gala Dinner in Ho Chi Minh City this week, served up alongside some of the country’s freshest fruit, vegetables, nuts, seafood, dairy products and wine.

It’s part of Meat and Livestock Australia and the Australian Food and Wine Collaboration Group’s continued push to increase export opportunities for Australian farmers.

The gala dinner in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday, 20 September follows Austrade’s Roadshow held earlier in the day, providing Australian businesses the opportunity to explore market opportunities to increase trade to Vietnam.

The country is a rising star for Australian agriculture, jumping to fourth largest export market for agriculture last year, surpassing South Korea, with $5.2 billion in exports heading to Vietnam, up from $3.4 billion the year before.

The gala dinner will see about 200 food industry leaders, importers, distributors and government representatives, along with Australian exporters, enjoy a menu brimming with the Wonders of Australia’s fresh produce.

The dinner provides Vietnamese customers the chance to experience Australia’s premium quality meat alongside fresh seafood, fruit, vegetables and nuts, dairy products and wine. It will give buyers a better understanding of Australia’s capability to provide the Vietnamese domestic market with greater diversity, extended windows of seasonal availability and enhanced consumer choices.

MLA’s involvement in the Taste the Wonders of Australia gala dinner is part of its ongoing Team Australia approach to increasing export opportunities for livestock producers, joining forces with Dairy Australia, Wine Australia, Seafood Industry Australia and Hort Innovation to showcase the true breadth and quality of Australian produce.

The partnership leverages the five individual organisations’ strengths, expertise and connections in engaging with overseas markets.

Vietnam is the third high-potential export market targeted by the Australian Food and Wine Collaboration Group, after successful market promotions in South Korea and Thailand, with Indonesia to follow in 2023-24. All four countries increased their agriculture imports last year by more than $1 billion each.

The partnership is support by an Agriculture Trade and Market Access Cooperation (ATMAC) grant of $500,000. An additional $600,000 grant announced earlier this year will see the partnership continue, with target markets including Taiwan slated for the next two years.

* Data reference: ABARES, September 2023