New consumer trends such as green food, alternative products, and high demands for traceability are paving the way for a promising development trajectory for Vietnamese food enterprises in 2025. This roadmap not only opens up export opportunities to new demanding markets but also creates a competitive advantage in the “home market”.

With the recent positive export situation for the food industry, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bao, Head of Import-Export Department of Binh Tay Food Joint Stock Company, said that the company is expected to focus on export activities in 2025. Therefore, the company will increase its staff to approach partners in more demanding markets.

Unlocking new discerning markets

For example, supplying Halal food products (for Muslims) to the Middle East, through an exchange with VnBusiness, Mr. Bao emphasized that he will expand the market in potential countries in this region. Especially when the company has achieved Halal standard certifications to serve different markets.

Facing the trend of opening up potential Halal markets in ASEAN, Vietnamese food enterprises are increasing contact with large Indonesian buyers.

“Currently, our mid-range and high-end food products are more suitable for foreign markets. The main customer base is international distributors with strengths in covering their GT (traditional distribution channels) and MT (modern distribution channels) channels in each market,” Mr. Bao confided.

In addition to the above promising sharing, at the event connecting trade and introducing food industry products held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 11, Ms. Ly Kim Chi, Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Food and Foodstuff Association (FFA), said that despite facing many challenges from the global market, new consumer trends such as green food, alternative products, or high requirements for traceability have set a new development path full of potential for the Vietnamese food industry.

For example, according to Ms. Chi, food products of enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City not only serve domestic consumption needs but are also reaching out to the world, conquering demanding international markets such as the EU, the US and Japan. This contributes significantly to the economic development of Ho Chi Minh City, especially when the food industry currently accounts for about 20% of the total industrial production value in the City.

According to Mr. Tran Phu Lu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC), food enterprises have gradually improved product quality, applied new technologies to production, converted production models to green production, applied digital technology and digital transformation, and used natural resources and energy economically and efficiently. Thereby, gradually meeting the quality standards of demanding markets around the world.

In particular, according to Mr. Lu, in the current trend of opening new markets, food enterprises have made constant efforts to obtain Halal certification, contributing to bringing Vietnamese goods into the markets of Muslim countries.

Recent forecasts show that the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is expected to reach 10.26% from 2025 to 2029, bringing the total revenue of the food and beverage industry to about 1.5 billion USD by 2029. This figure shows wide-open opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises in the field of food processing and export.

In addition, the Vietnamese food industry has also recorded a rapid digital transformation speed. Enterprises are gradually converting from traditional business models to multi-channel sales models, especially online, to build brands and reach customers more effectively.

In addition, modern technology trends such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and Blockchain are also being applied in the supply chain management and production process of the Vietnamese food industry. This helps businesses increase transparency, optimize costs and improve product quality. In particular, the application of blockchain technology to trace the origin of food is becoming an important trend, helping to ensure food safety and hygiene and increase consumer confidence

Adapting flexibly to new market trends

Looking at the new development roadmap for Vietnamese food enterprises in the coming year 2025, experts say that they will face many opportunities and challenges. In particular, to adapt to new consumption trends, enterprises will have to promote the development of new, sustainable, environmentally friendly and more convenient products, thereby also helping them increase revenue.

For example, with the green consumption trend, according to Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, Head of Market Research of the Association of High-Quality Vietnamese Goods Enterprises, consumers said that they are willing to pay more to be able to use green products at different levels. In which, the level of additional payment that consumers respond to the most is to pay an additional 5% to 10% compared to regular products to consume green products, especially about 20% of consumers accept to pay an additional 10%.

However, it should be noted that as a fertile field closely linked to the core needs of consumers, the domestic food market is facing fierce competition. Therefore, in order to survive and gain a foothold in the market, food enterprises themselves must constantly strive to innovate, create, and innovate to grasp the development trends of the industry, the main trends of consumers, and create advantages over other competitors.

In terms of the main trends of consumers in 2025, food enterprises should also refer to the Consumer Goods Industry Report 2025 issued by TPS Securities Company in December 2024, according to which Vietnamese consumers tend to prioritize essential and health care products. This is an opportunity for enterprises providing consumer and health care products to build appropriate product strategies.

In addition, according to TPS, sustainability is not only a global trend but also one of the selection criteria of Vietnamese consumers. Moreover, modern Vietnamese consumers not only look for suitable products but also care about products with reputable brands. They are willing to be loyal to brands with sustainable values, providing multi-channel experiences and meeting customer tastes.

In general, looking at the potential new development roadmap for Vietnamese food enterprises in the export and domestic markets, it is important that the enterprises themselves gradually change their operations to flexibly adapt to new market trends and optimize their business operations.

Hopefully, from the practical market trends, they will be able to adapt to new trends, launch new food products and promote “catching the wave” of those trends in the coming year 2025. This comes from the roadmap of innovation, product innovation and promotion method innovation of Vietnamese food enterprises.