'Vietnam's golden flower bubs' in Marktmeile Sursee of Switzerland
WVR - Products entering the Swiss market like processed foods, rice, seafood, vegetables, tropical fruits, etc are called Vietnam's 'golden flower bubs' on the Swiss market.
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| “Vietnam's golden flower bubs” in Marktmeile Sursee of Switzerland: The author and store owner of Ragual's Bambus Schalen. (Photo: Cat Phuong) |
At Sursee station where I had just got off the train, the Marktmeile Sursee Market was crowded and bustling to Bahnhofstrasse Sursee. The close-knit stalls stretch along the street about 2km long, crowded with buyers and onlookers in the seasonal market between Spring and Summer.
The first impression, right at the beginning of the street are the tractors with historical appearance, lined up on both sides of Bahnhofstrasse, decorated by the owner with very eye-catching decoration for visitors to admire and take photos. The tractors are reminiscent of the “good old days” of Swiss farmers when they were young, riding a tractor in the fields of yellow dandelions. Seeing us watching with wide eyes, Mr. Paul, a Swiss friend with a crackling laugh, pulled us into the car to "take a photo of check-in".
After browsing through a series of booths, we arrived at the space for local associations, where a variety of activities were taking place, from folk music and dance performances to a hockey corner or basic skills instruction, charity associations, etc.
Further along the Bahnhofstrasse, are several hundred stalls crowded like a trade show. The stalls display and sell from modern household appliances using solar energy, to second-hand goods such as paintings, to food stalls, flowers, etc. Marktmeile Sursee makes me watching without getting bored.
Surprise: Vietnamese goods and people
Suong Pham Glauser and her husband, Hans-Peter Glauser, dragged me to the middle of the market with stalls selling and displaying products. I was amused when in the middle of a crowded market, I saw familiar items. There, I saw officials of the Vietnamese Embassy in Switzerland, such as Nguyen Ha Phuong and Nguyen Duc Thuong (Commercial Counselor) standing next to the famous bamboo product brand Regula's Bambus Schalen.
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| “Vietnam's golden flower bubs” in Marktmeile Sursee of Switzerland. (Photo: Raphael) |
Both of them could not hide their excitement when they saw me wide-eyed listening to the Swiss shop owner introducing to customers: “This product is made from Vietnamese bamboo. All bowls are made from 100% bamboo, no impurities, tested for food safety by the Swiss SGS company and can hold hot, wet food with many colors and attachments such as cups and knives, fork, straw…”.
Seeing me, she immediately greeted: “Hanoi people, right? This orange yellow bowl we named Hanoi. This small bowl is called Sapa bowl. This pot-sized thing is called the Ha Long bowl… They are named after the places we visited in Vietnam.” Indeed, it is a good way of calling the Swiss for the listeners to remember the origin of the product, with the names "very beautiful, very Vietnamese" and to maximize the value of the product.
Duc Thuong said that in addition to household products such as this stall, Vietnam also has many other products that have entered the Swiss market such as leather goods, travel goods, bags, machinery and mechanical and marine equipment. In particular, there are Vietnam's largest export products to Switzerland in 2022, with a turnover exceeding 100 million USD, such as machinery, electrical equipment and components, footwear, and apparel. …
Vietnam's Trade Counselor in Switzerland said that, despite its small population (8.8 million people), Switzerland is an important economic partner of Vietnam in Europe. Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) are also negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). So far, the two sides have undergone 16 official negotiations and many midterm discussions. Vietnam, Switzerland and the bloc's countries (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) are determined to negotiate in the spirit of flexibility and mutual benefit to be able to sign the agreement.
In addition, the market demand for some agricultural and aquatic products of Vietnam such as cashew nuts, pepper, pangasius, etc, showed signs of stagnation or slow growth in recent years. Vietnamese goods are also subject to increasing competition from other countries, especially countries in the region and countries that have FTAs with Switzerland and the EFTA bloc.
Currently, there are more than 100 Swiss enterprises operating in Vietnam. Among the large Swiss corporations investing in Vietnam, there are Nestlé (food and beverage), Novatis/Ciba - Sandoz (pharmaceutical), Roche (pharmaceutical), Holcim (cement), ABB (electrical equipment, substation construction), Sulzer (mechanical, electrical equipment), Zuellig Pharma (pharmaceutical, medical equipment)…
Some Vietnamese agricultural, aquatic products and food products have had a good market share and position in the Swiss market such as frozen pangasius, frozen and processed shrimp, cashew nuts, processed tuna...
Duc Thuong's voice became more and more cheerful: "By 2030, with the prospect of an FTA between Vietnam and EFTA (including Switzerland) being signed and effective, along with solutions to improve competitiveness. for export products, directly participating in distribution systems, promoting trade promotion and expanding markets, promptly grasping and responding to new trends in consumption... agricultural export turnover Vietnam's seafood and food products to Switzerland can maintain an average growth rate of 8-10% per year and reach about 300-350 million USD by 2030.
The story of the market and market share carried us all the way to the cobbled street, which is Martigny Square, where there are stalls introducing unique products of Sursee craftsmen, followed by Food Court.
Kneubuhler Beat said, "For the Swiss, the ending must be comfortable. Therefore, the last space of the market is usually arranged with a chain of restaurants. Määrt-Beiz is a chain of drinks and snacks in Sursee, opposite St. Georg's school is a place for dining and watching the performers."
According to Nguyen Ha Phuong, Swiss people have high demands for product quality, once the quality criteria are met, other things are going through. The main export items of Vietnam to Switzerland are not subject to quotas because Switwerland still gives Vietnam the GSP universal preferential tariff regime.
Products that can have the opportunity to enter the Swiss market in the near future are processed foods, rice (especially fragrant rice, specialty rice), seafood, vegetables, tropical fruits, as well as other organic products. Those will be Vietnam's "golden flower bubs" on the Swiss market.
After walking on the not too long but interesting and exciting distance, we relaxed looking at the clear blue sky. Kneubuhler Beat said: “Today is the first sunny day here, in six months. The Marktmeile Sursee market will end at midnight and is expected to attract up to 30,000 visitors from all over the world."
(Translate by Thai Thong)
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