Halal Market - Great Opportunity for Tay Ninh Enterprises

To export to the Halal market, businesses must strictly comply with many regulations (In photo: Packing eggs for export at QL Vietnam Company Limited)

Potential from Halal market

According to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang, the global Halal market is currently estimated at around US$8 trillion and is forecast to grow to US$12 trillion in the next five years. The Halal food sector alone - the largest segment in the Halal industry - accounts for around 65% of total trade. With a compound annual growth rate of up to 10.5%, Halal food is forecast to account for 20% of total global food trade in the near future.

With more than 2 billion Muslims, concentrated in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and North Africa, the demand for Halal food is increasing rapidly in line with the population growth and income of people in these countries. Among the popular items, fresh food, processed chicken, vegetables, fruits, nuts such as peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, etc. are accounting for a high proportion. This opens up great opportunities for Vietnam, including Tay Ninh , to promote export activities.

In the province, many large enterprises have invested in closed-loop livestock farms that meet food safety and hygiene standards and traceability. This is an important foundation for achieving Halal certification - a prerequisite for exporting to Muslim countries.

Hung Nhon Group and De Heus Group (Netherlands) are large enterprises in the livestock sector. Since 2023, these two groups have jointly invested in Tay Ninh with many key projects in the agricultural sector for the period 2025-2030 with the main goal of exporting livestock products to the Halal market. Therefore, from the stage of breeding, animal feed, input materials to the closed livestock process, ... are all strictly controlled, ensuring that no prohibited ingredients are used according to Halal standards and ensuring a clean, stable and safe livestock environment.

DHN Farm developed by Hung Nhon Group and De Heus Group in Tay Ninh is one of the largest joint ventures in Vietnam in the agricultural sector with the goal of conquering the Halal market.

According to Mr. Vu Manh Hung - Chairman of the Board of Directors, General Director of Hung Nhon Group, in recent times, the Group has coordinated with international Halal certification organizations to gradually complete documents, processes and management systems according to standards. All are aimed at the goal of not only meeting the requirements of the Halal market but also improving the quality of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international market. At the same time, the company also supports small and retail farmers in Tay Ninh to access modern equipment and breeding processes, ensuring stable output,...

Speaking at the Conference on connecting the agricultural supply chain of the Mekong Delta with the Middle East - Africa, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with the Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Vietnam recently, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Thanh said: Tay Ninh is a border province with a strategic geo-economic and political position on the East-West economic corridor; adjacent to Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai - the most dynamic and developed economic region in the country; is an important gateway connecting the Southeast region with the Mekong Delta region. In recent years, the province's import and export activities have continued to increase and achieved positive results. Tay Ninh currently has 37,465 enterprises, of which 48 enterprises export and import through the UAE with a turnover of 82.3 million USD in the first 7 months of 2025. In particular, the province has 57 enterprises granted Halal certificates, opening up great prospects in connecting, promoting agricultural product consumption and market development.

Accompanying businesses to overcome difficulties

Applying science and technology to cultivation helps Tay Ninh agricultural products "broaden" their path to conquer the Halal market (Photo: TTC AgriS)

At the recent conference on connecting the agricultural supply chain of the Mekong Delta with the Middle East - Africa, delegates said that despite great potential, accessing the Halal market still faces many challenges for Vietnamese enterprises in general and Tay Ninh in particular.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Cong Hoang - Institute for South Asian, West Asian and African Studies (ISAWAAS); Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), Vietnam has many natural advantages but still faces challenges in standards and certification. Currently, very few Vietnamese enterprises are granted Halal certificates, Halal export turnover is estimated to reach 700 million USD in 2024.

In addition, the cost of investing in equipment, production lines, and safe raw materials in the stages of packaging, transportation, preservation, etc. according to Halal standards is often higher than that of producing and exporting regular products. In particular, controlling cross-contamination of prohibited substances and ensuring cold storage conditions are significant barriers.

Disease-free livestock farming and quality control from input help Tay Ninh livestock businesses easily access the Halal market.

To support businesses, in 2025, the province has been implementing a number of solutions to support businesses and cooperatives in accessing the Halal market, such as: Accompanying the Ministry of Industry and Trade and trade promotion units to organize seminars, training, and provide information on the Halal certification process; Linking with reputable international Halal organizations, creating a bridge for businesses in the province to make it easier to prepare certification documents,...

“In the face of many difficulties in the world economy, market demand has not yet recovered strongly, Vietnamese enterprises in general and export enterprises in particular still face many difficulties in production, business, finding partners and orders. Therefore, organizing trade connection activities between suppliers of Tay Ninh in particular, the Mekong Delta and export enterprises; organizing trade promotion is a very practical activity, contributing to supporting enterprises to expand cooperation, promoting the export of goods to the market” - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Thanh emphasized.

UAE Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Vietnam Bader Almatrooshi also affirmed that UAE corporations such as Dubai Port World, Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, and Lulu Group are actively supporting the introduction of Mekong Delta agricultural products to the world through global logistics and distribution systems.

Ambassador Bader Almatrooshi emphasized: “The global Halal food industry is forecast to exceed 6,000 billion USD by 2033, Vietnam is in a favorable position to seize this opportunity with the companionship and support from the UAE.”

Director of the Middle East - Africa Department Nguyen Phuong Tra also said that in the coming time, the UAE embassies and enterprises will continue to support and act as a bridge to help Vietnamese enterprises in general, and provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta in particular, promote cooperation in the fields of agriculture, food and increase import and export; develop the Halal industry for export to the UAE and Middle East markets. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is committed to accompanying and the Middle East - Africa Department will act as a bridge, with the common goal of turning political commitments and good diplomatic relations into specific and practical economic cooperation results, bringing benefits to the people of the two countries.

The Halal market is a strategic direction for Tay Ninh’s agricultural sector in the coming years. However, this market requires a comprehensive commitment, from products to supply chains. Therefore, enterprises need to prepare well from production, Halal certification to building a network of strategic partners to succeed in this potential market, affirming Vietnamese quality in the international arena./.

Vu Nguyet

Source: https://baolongan.vn/thi-truong-halal-co-hoi-lon-cho-doanh-nghiep-tay-ninh-a201293.html