Indian and Chinese retail giants look to source more products from Vietnam

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) on July 6, India’s Reliance Retail and China’s Pagoda will participate in Vietnam International Sourcing 2026 (VIS 2026), an annual sourcing event connecting Vietnamese suppliers with international retailers, importers, and distribution networks. The event will take place in Ho Chi Minh City from September 4-6.

Photo: Hoang Oanh

The two retailers are looking to source a wide range of products in which Vietnam has strong competitive advantages, including agricultural produce, fresh fruit, processed food, seafood, coffee, cashew nuts, pepper, furniture, household goods, textiles, footwear, and consumer products.

Reliance Retail is part of Reliance Industries Limited, India’s largest private-sector conglomerate, operating tens of thousands of retail outlets alongside an extensive omnichannel retail platform. Through VIS 2026, the company will connect directly with Vietnamese suppliers to secure stable, long-term sources of goods for the Indian market of more than 1.4 billion people.

The retailer has expressed demand for a diverse range of products that match Vietnam’s manufacturing strengths, including agricultural products, processed food, seafood, coffee, cashew nuts, pepper, furniture, household goods, textiles, footwear, and other consumer goods. These are all sectors with strong growth potential in India as demand from the country’s expanding middle class continues to rise.

Establishing direct partnerships with Reliance Retail is expected to provide Vietnamese businesses with an opportunity to reduce intermediary costs, improve export margins, and gradually build a stronger foothold in the promising South Asian market.

Meanwhile, Pagoda, established in Shenzhen in 2001, is a pioneer in China’s fruit retail industry and has built an integrated ecosystem covering the entire fruit distribution chain. After more than two decades of development, the company now operates more than 6,000 stores across over 180 cities in China, serving around 90 million registered members.

To ensure consistent product quality, Pagoda has developed a global sourcing network spanning 26 countries, with investments covering production areas, procurement, preliminary processing, grading, and cold-chain logistics.

This year marks the third consecutive time that Pagoda has participated in Vietnam International Sourcing to explore cooperation opportunities with Vietnamese businesses.

Vietnam’s favourable growing conditions, year-round production, and abundant supply of tropical fruits have made the country an important sourcing market for Pagoda. The retailer currently imports substantial volumes of Vietnamese durian, coconuts, bananas, dragon fruit, jackfruit, mangoes, and mangosteens for distribution across its network in China.

According to the MoIT, the participation of the two major retail groups highlights the growing attractiveness of Vietnam as a sourcing destination. It also creates further opportunities for domestic businesses to establish direct links with international distribution networks, expand export markets, and integrate more deeply into global supply chains.