Enhancing Halal cooperation between Vietnam and Türkiye

Strengthening Halal Cooperation between Vietnam and Türkiye

At the seminar “Halal Cooperation between Vietnam and Türkiye: Current Situation and Prospects,” Vietnamese Ambassador to Türkiye Đặng Thị Thu Hà emphasized that despite geographical distance, the two countries share many similarities in historical and cultural values, foreign policy orientation, independence, and autonomy. These commonalities form a solid foundation for strengthening bilateral cooperation. Trade between Vietnam and Türkiye has maintained strong momentum, with double-digit growth, reaching over USD 2 billion according to Vietnam’s statistics and more than USD 3 billion according to Türkiye’s figures in 2024. In this context, Halal has emerged as a new economic driver and a priority area for bilateral cooperation.

The Ambassador quoted Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính as affirming that Halal is a strategic direction for Vietnam. Halal is viewed not only as a major opportunity but also as a new production orientation, a key pillar of economic cooperation, and an important driving force for development with countries, particularly those with large Muslim populations.

Leveraging Complementary Strengths

The global Halal market, with more than 2.2 billion consumers by 2025, offers enormous potential but also imposes stringent requirements in terms of standards, certification, and logistics. Vietnam possesses significant advantages in supplying high-quality agricultural and seafood products—items that are traditionally in high demand among member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

According to representatives of Vietnam’s trade promotion authorities, Vietnam is gradually affirming its capacity to supply Halal products, especially in processed foods, agricultural products, beverages, tourism services, and logistics. Vietnam’s key export items include coffee, rice, cashew nuts, pepper, cinnamon, star anise, and various spices, which are well received in international markets. Cashew nuts, in particular, are currently one of Vietnam’s main export products to Türkiye, making Türkiye one of the top ten importers of Vietnamese cashews among approximately 70 importing countries.

Türkiye’s strategic geographic location positions it as an important logistics hub and a gateway for Vietnamese goods to access markets in the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa. Beyond traditional trade, bilateral cooperation also holds potential in areas such as energy, defense, construction, tourism, and technology. Over the past four years, Vietnam’s exports to Türkiye have doubled, from nearly USD 1 billion in 2020 to around USD 2 billion in 2024. The Halal economy is expected to become a key catalyst for achieving a bilateral trade target of USD 4 billion within the next five years.

Challenging the Standards

Despite the strong potential, Halal certification—particularly under Türkiye’s regulatory framework—requires strict procedures and entails considerable costs. Türkiye applies Halal standards based on the OIC/SMIIC system (Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries). Since June 2023, Halal certification has become mandatory for all products and services marketed as Halal in Türkiye.

Experts point out that differences in Halal standards and certification practices among countries constitute indirect technical barriers to trade. In addition, logistical challenges—such as rising costs and longer transit times due to geopolitical tensions—have negatively affected export efficiency. Although Türkiye recognizes international Halal certificates, some Turkish importers still require Halal certification issued specifically by Turkish certification bodies.

Vietnamese enterprises also face intense competition in the Halal sector from countries with well-established Halal ecosystems, notably Malaysia and Indonesia. This reality highlights the need for Vietnam to further invest in Halal infrastructure, certification systems, and human resource development.

Policy Recommendations and Cooperation Directions

To overcome these challenges, experts and policymakers propose several solutions. These include investing in internationally recognized Halal certification through cooperation with reputable certification bodies to meet Türkiye’s market requirements; developing a closed and integrated Halal supply chain from production and processing to distribution; and diversifying Halal products in line with global consumer trends, such as organic, vegan, and allergen-free products.

In addition, it is recommended that Vietnam and Türkiye strengthen institutional cooperation through mechanisms such as a bilateral Halal working group, promote mutual recognition of standards, and enhance information sharing and capacity building. Türkiye has expressed its willingness to share experience and cooperate with Vietnam in developing Halal quality infrastructure.

Vietnamese representatives believe that by deepening business-to-business linkages, strengthening supply chain cooperation, and exploring joint venture opportunities, the two countries can build effective models of cooperation across the Halal value chain, from goods trade to Halal-related services.

Arcording Vn.Economy