On June 17, 2025, the Vietnam Trade Office in the Federal Republic of Germany, in collaboration with the Selgros wholesale supermarket chain and a trade promotion delegation from Bac Giang Province, organized the “Vietnam Goods Day” in Berlin. The event marked the first time Vietnamese lychees were officially promoted through a major German distribution system and coincided with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Germany.

The event was attended by H.E. Vu Quang Minh, Ambassador of Vietnam to Germany, representatives from the Embassy and its affiliated offices, Mr. Marco Berger – Managing Director of Selgros Lichtenberg, several commercial counselors from other countries in Germany, and nearly 30 German and Vietnamese companies engaged in consulting, import-export, and distribution.

The highlight of this promotional day was the Bac Giang lychee – a specialty fruit from Bac Giang Province in northeastern Vietnam, a region with nearly 300,000 hectares of agricultural land, favorable climate and soil conditions, and a rich ecosystem. Lychee is the province’s most prominent crop, cultivated on nearly 30,000 hectares, accounting for over 60% of its fruit-growing area. The fruit is currently exported to more than 30 countries and territories, meeting high international standards for food safety and quality. Vietnam has also made substantial investments in modern and synchronized post-harvest processing, packaging, and logistics systems.

In addition to lychees, many other Vietnamese agricultural products and fruits were introduced to German consumers at the event, such as fresh coconuts, dragon fruit, green-skinned pomelo, rice varieties, canned foods, coffee, tea, and spices.

Speaking at the event, Ms. Dang Thi Thanh Phuong, Vietnam’s Trade Counselor in Germany, emphasized that fruits and agricultural products are key export items for Vietnam. While German consumers are already familiar with some Vietnamese products like coffee, seafood, tea, and spices, many others remain underrepresented in the market.

Selgros highly appreciated the direct introduction of lychees by the Bac Giang delegation. The event not only allowed German consumers to experience Vietnamese lychees firsthand but also showcased other high-quality Vietnamese agricultural products such as pomelo, dragon fruit, fresh coconut, and coffee.

Mr. Nghiem Xuan Huong, Member of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the People’s Council of Bac Giang Province, affirmed that the "Vietnamese Product Day at Selgros" is a significant trade promotion activity. It offers an important opportunity for Bac Giang to introduce and promote its key agricultural products, especially lychees, to the German market. The event also strengthens cooperation in agriculture, trade, logistics, and tourism between Bac Giang and partners in Germany. Currently, partners such as Mova Plus JSC, Linsan Imex s.r.o., and several other companies in Germany and Europe are expanding their cooperation to bring the world-renowned Bac Giang lychee closer to German and European consumers.

H.E. Ambassador Vu Quang Minh welcomed the “Vietnamese Agricultural Product Day” at Selgros, one of Germany’s leading supermarket chains. According to Ambassador Minh, Vietnamese fruits are not only visually appealing but also have distinctive flavors. The event's timing—coinciding with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Germany—was ideal for further strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations, particularly by introducing unique Vietnamese agricultural products to German and European consumers. The Ambassador expressed his gratitude to Selgros for its cooperation in bringing Vietnamese products closer to German customers. Given Germany’s large and high-potential market, success with German consumers would open opportunities for Vietnamese lychees and other agricultural products to reach many other global markets.

In addition to the event at Selgros Lichtenberg, the Vietnam Trade Office also organized a visit to Leipzig—a city with a large Vietnamese community and a key logistics hub in eastern Germany. There, the delegation held meetings with the Konzum supermarket system (with 57 stores in Leipzig), Hansen Obst fresh produce retail chain, and the Asian goods distributor Lac Thien to promote Vietnamese agricultural products and explore opportunities to enter local distribution systems.

Source: Vietnam Trade Office in Germany