AFIA Now Has Boots on the Ground In Vietnam

Written by: Gina Tumbarello   |   May 20, 2021

Vietnam, Trade

The American Feed Industry Association has expanded efforts into Vietnam - this has been many years in the making! Through the support of the Foreign Agricultural Service’s Market Access Program funds, we are now implementing market access and development programs for the U.S. animal food industry in the country. Our work in Vietnam focuses on improving the competitiveness of U.S. animal food products by educating and demonstrating the variety, efficacy, quality, viability, safety and sustainability of U.S. feed products. 

There are significant opportunities to improve the competitiveness of U.S. animal food products by addressing outdated technologies, improving regulatory compliance and upgrading input and management quality. By providing training in the use of best technologies, the Vietnamese can appropriately adjust their feed rations, reduce costs and increase feed conversion ratios. Benefits include enhancing feed production and on-farm animal agriculture production technology, input use and waste management and farm management practices. This would not only increase the use of specialized feed products, including feed additives, but also provide an opportunity to expand the overall U.S. market share of feed products.  

The AFIA’s primary focus is on the pet food and aquaculture industries. Dog and cat populations in Vietnam have increased 25% and 37% respectively between 2016 and 2021. Sales of dog and cat food have increased 103% in the same timeframe. Rising disposable incomes and pet owners switching from feeding non-prepared food to prepared dog and cat food is leading to these dynamic increases in the growth of dog and cat food consumption in Vietnam. Another strong driver is an increasingly strong movement within Vietnam to protect animals.   

Consumption of fish is increasing in the Asian country due to the high nutritional value, digestibility and it being more economical compared to other protein sources, such as beef and pork. Additionally, Vietnamese consumers prefer fish in their diet as it is readily available and easy to cook. Beyond the domestic market for aquaculture products, Vietnam is also a major exporter. According to some projections, Vietnam is set to become the world’s leading producer of shrimp by 2045, accounting for 25% of the global shrimp segment as the country is expected to produce 4 million tons of raw shrimp. 

The AFIA has in-country representation based in Ho Chi Minh who are pivotal to contributing to the strategic development of trade facilitation, market development and trade policy goals, carrying out activity plans and providing assessments and feedback on program implementation in Vietnam. Thanh Nguyen is the AFIA’s country representative in Vietnam and the founder and co-owner of ECREATI, a research and marketing agency. Alex Nguyen is the AFIA’s market consultant for feed in Vietnam and also the co-owner of ECREATI.  

Thanh has a master’s degree in animal production from Tours University in France, spent four years as an assistant trade advisor in food and agriculture (animal husbandry and cultivation) with Business France and has led and managed projects with the European Union, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food as well as several U.S. agriculture trade associations. Alex has a master’s in animal production from Tours University in France and over 15 years of experience within the food industry in the areas of research and development, technical sales and business development. He previously owned and managed Bluetech Ingredients Ltd. and has experience supporting U.S. agricultural industry work.

Stay tuned as we will continue to share information on our work in Vietnam and opportunities for the U.S. feed and pet food industries.