As part of the 2026 trade promotion programme, the Trade Office of Vietnam in Sweden, concurrently responsible for Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Latvia, will once again organize a Nordic business delegation to attend Vietnam International Sourcing 2026 – VIS 2026.

Alongside companies in fashion, retail and other sectors, food businesses will continue to be an important focus of this year’s delegation.

Among the participating companies are A Chau Lien Imports and Export AB and East Asian Food AB, both returning to VIS for the third consecutive year.
Lagerqvist AB will attend the event for the first time, further broadening the range of companies and food distribution networks represented in the Swedish business delegation.

The continued return of previous participants, together with the arrival of new companies, shows that VIS is more than a promotional event or a venue for initial meetings. It is gradually becoming a practical sourcing channel through which importers can discover new products and Vietnamese goods can gain access to the Nordic market.

Returning Participation Reflects the Practical Impact of VIS

When companies return to the fair year after year, it signifies more than repeated attendance. It indicates that meetings held at VIS have generated sufficiently clear commercial value for importers to continue investing their time, resources and attention in the Vietnamese market.

During the previous two editions, Swedish companies met manufacturers directly, sampled products and discussed pricing, packaging, product specifications and distribution potential in the Nordic region.

Connections established through VIS have already helped bring a number of new Vietnamese products to the Nordic market, including frozen bread, shrimp sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves and ST25 rice.

More recently, import portfolios have continued to expand to include cassava, green papaya and frozen crab soup; products with distinctive Vietnamese flavours such as dracontomelon drink and lotus eight-treasure tea; as well as rice varieties aligned with healthy eating trends, including red dragon rice, purple-black brown rice and upland sticky rice.

This growing diversity shows that opportunities for Vietnamese food products in the Nordic market are no longer limited to traditional exports. Market potential is expanding into processed foods, convenient meals, ingredients for restaurants and products that combine nutritional value, natural ingredients and a distinctive Vietnamese culinary identity.

From Traditional Products to New Value

Vietnamese food products benefit from a rich variety of ingredients, flavours and cultural traditions. Dracontomelon drink, lotus eight-treasure tea and shrimp sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves are more than food and beverage products. Each carries a story about local ingredients, regional identity and Vietnamese culinary life.

Meanwhile, red dragon rice, purple-black brown rice and upland sticky rice demonstrate how traditional values can be connected with emerging consumer trends.

Consumers are increasingly interested in minimally processed foods, natural ingredients, grain diversity and products with a clearly identifiable origin. This creates an opportunity for Vietnamese businesses not merely to sell a product, but also to communicate a distinctive value proposition.

However, for a traditional dish or ingredient to become a commercially viable product in the Nordic market, businesses need to view it from the perspective of the importing market.

Products must offer consistent quality, appropriate packaging formats, clear information and easy-to-understand preparation instructions. For frozen foods, convenient storage and preparation are particularly important. For retail products, packaging should help consumers quickly understand what the product is, how it is used and why it is worth choosing.

VIS enables these issues to be discussed directly between manufacturers and importers, rather than requiring businesses to make assumptions about market demand from a distance.

The Appeal and Effectiveness of Direct Business Matching

Vietnam International Sourcing does more than provide a space for Vietnamese companies to display their existing products. Its greater value lies in directly connecting Vietnam’s manufacturing capabilities with the specific needs of international importers.

At VIS, businesses can receive immediate product feedback, identify suitable distribution channels and better understand what adjustments are needed before entering the market.

Importers, in turn, can meet multiple manufacturers during a single visit, evaluate products directly and discover new items that may not yet be available in their home markets.

The third consecutive participation of A Chau Lien Imports and Export AB and East Asian Food AB demonstrates the appeal and effectiveness of this business-matching mechanism. The first-time participation of Lagerqvist AB also shows that VIS continues to expand the network of Swedish companies interested in sourcing food products from Vietnam.

VIS 2026 is therefore not only a place to showcase products, but also a platform where new business ideas can take shape.

A traditional dish may be developed into a convenient frozen product. A specialty rice variety may be positioned in line with healthy nutrition trends. An ingredient commonly used in Vietnam may become a new product for Nordic restaurants or consumers.

From Business Meetings to New Markets

Results from previous editions of VIS show that export opportunities can begin with a highly specific conversation. However, moving from an initial meeting to market entry requires preparation, adaptability and persistent follow-up.

By organizing the Nordic business delegation to VIS 2026, the Trade Office of Vietnam in Sweden continues to serve as a bridge between importer demand and the capabilities of Vietnamese enterprises.

The return of existing partners and the participation of new companies show that further opportunities are continuing to emerge for Vietnamese food products.

Each product can find its own path to market when it is connected with the right partner and developed in line with market demand.
From VIS 2025 to VIS 2026: Expanding Vietnam–Nordic Cooperation

Connections established at VIS 2025 have laid the foundation for the Trade Office of Vietnam in Sweden to continue bringing a Nordic business delegation to VIS 2026 and further expand cooperation.

From Connections at VIS to Concrete Cooperation

The connections formed at Vietnam International Sourcing 2025 have provided a strong foundation for the Trade Office of Vietnam in Sweden to continue organizing a Nordic business delegation to attend VIS 2026. From fashion and food to logistics, the return of existing partners and the participation of new companies show that VIS is gradually becoming a practical channel for cooperation between Vietnam and the Nordic region.

In 2025, the Nordic business delegation organized by the Trade Office of Vietnam in Sweden, concurrently responsible for Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Latvia, carried out a nearly two-week working programme in Vietnam, with Vietnam International Sourcing Fair as its focal point.

VIS not only enabled businesses to access Vietnamese suppliers directly, but also opened the way for more in-depth working programmes with government agencies, local authorities, industry associations, ports, factories and logistics partners.

The outcomes of the visit showed that Vietnam–Nordic cooperation is expanding beyond trade transactions into supply-chain development, investment, logistics and green transformation.

In the fashion sector, H&M used VIS 2025 as an opportunity to engage with Vietnamese businesses and government agencies on supplier development, renewable energy use, emissions reduction and the expansion of retail operations. The Group continues to regard Vietnam as an important link in its global supply network, as well as a consumer market with considerable growth potential.

In the logistics sector, meetings between the Port of Gothenburg and Vietnamese ports, shipping lines, exporters and logistics organizations helped move the objective of establishing direct transport links between Vietnam and the Nordic region from a strategic direction towards concrete cooperation. Memoranda of understanding signed during and after the programme opened prospects for stronger port-to-port cooperation, the development of green logistics and research into direct maritime routes between Vietnam and the Nordic region.

A direct transport route would help reduce reliance on transshipment, shorten delivery times, improve supply-chain reliability and facilitate access for Vietnamese goods to Nordic and wider European markets.

In the field of sustainable development, the participation of IKEA and H&M demonstrated that Nordic corporations are placing increasing emphasis on renewable materials, sustainable forest management, clean energy, circularity and traceability. These requirements not only set new standards for Vietnamese companies, but also create opportunities to upgrade technology, improve production efficiency and participate more deeply in global value chains.

Vietnamese Goods Moving from the Fair to Nordic Markets

Food businesses provide one of the clearest examples of VIS’s commercial impact. Through previous editions of the fair, a range of Vietnamese products have been selected by Swedish importers and introduced to the market, including bread, cassava, green papaya, frozen crab soup, shrimp sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves and ST25 rice.

The product portfolio has also expanded to include items aligned with healthy eating trends, such as red dragon rice, purple-black brown rice and upland sticky rice.

These results show that opportunities for Vietnamese food products in the Nordic market are not limited to traditional exports. Processed foods, convenient meals, ingredients for restaurants and products reflecting Vietnamese culinary identity all have development potential when they are connected with the right partners and adapted to market needs.

VIS enables importers to sample products directly and discuss packaging, specifications, pricing and distribution channels. This is an important step in helping Vietnamese businesses understand actual market demand, rather than developing products based on assumptions made from a distance.

Reaffirming the Role of the Trade Office

Building on the foundation established in 2025, the Trade Office of Vietnam in Sweden will continue organizing the Nordic business delegation to attend VIS 2026.

H&M will return to the event for the second consecutive year. A representative of the Group stated that its continued participation reflects confidence in Vietnam’s development prospects and a commitment to building a flexible, resilient and sustainable supply chain.

In the food sector, A Chau Lien Imports and Export AB and East Asian Food AB will attend VIS for the third time, while Lagerqvist AB will participate for the first time.

The return of previous participants shows that the programme has delivered sufficiently concrete results for importers to continue seeking products and partners in Vietnam. At the same time, the participation of new companies expands the network of importers and distributors and creates further market opportunities for Vietnamese goods.

The delegation is expected to continue growing, with additional companies from a range of sectors.

An international business delegation does not begin on the opening day of a fair, nor does it end when the event closes. Before the event, the Trade Office identifies the needs of Nordic businesses, selects partners with cooperation potential and connects them with suitable Vietnamese companies.

During VIS, the Trade Office organizes B2B meetings, study visits and working sessions with government agencies, associations, factories and logistics facilities.

The period after the fair is the decisive stage. The Trade Office continues to support the exchange of company profiles, product samples and information, facilitate product adjustments and maintain contact so that initial meetings can develop into orders, projects or long-term partnerships.

The role of the Trade Office is therefore not simply to bring businesses to the fair. More importantly, it helps translate the needs of the Nordic market into concrete opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises.

VIS 2026 is scheduled to take place from 3 to 5 September 2026 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center – SECC in Ho Chi Minh City.

The event combines an exhibition, sector-specific seminars and direct business matching between Vietnamese enterprises and international corporations, importers and distribution systems.

The value of VIS lies not only in the number of booths or meetings. More importantly, the event connects different links in the value chain, from raw materials, production and sourcing to logistics, technology and sustainable development.