Halal Industry - New Driving Force for Cooperation Between Vietnam and Malaysia

According to a VNA reporter in Kuala Lumpur, within the framework of the working program of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to attend the 46th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly and official visit to Malaysia, on September 18, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha received a number of Malaysian associations and enterprises to promote bilateral trade and investment cooperation in general and the development of the Halal industry in particular.

Báo Tin Tức•18/09/2025

Photo caption — Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha received Mr. Richard Khor, Chairman of the Malaysia - Vietnam Chamber of Commerce (MVCC). Photo: Bui Hoan/VNA correspondent in Malaysia

At the meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Mr. Richard Khor, Chairman of the Malaysia - Vietnam Chamber of Commerce (MVCC), expressed his desire to strengthen cooperation so that Vietnamese companies can use Malaysia as a platform to expand Halal product production globally as well as support Vietnamese companies to obtain Halal certification from JAKIM (the Malaysian Government agency that manages and issues international Halal certification).

Welcoming and appreciating the cooperation ideas of MVCC, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said that Vietnam considers the development of the Halal industry as a new and important direction to open up the global Halal market and promote new growth drivers. Although Halal is a new field, Vietnam is making efforts to achieve the goal of establishing a position on the global Halal map.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Vietnam is building a Halal testing laboratory system and hopes that MVCC will connect with management agencies in the Halal field to support sending experts to train, share experiences, and transfer technology to operate a Halal laboratory system that meets Malaysian standards and is internationally recognized. When the laboratory system meets standards, investment in production and trade of Halal products will be expanded. The Deputy Prime Minister also said that Vietnam has many advantages to develop the Halal industry compared to some other countries in the region, from young, skilled human resources to the abundance and diversity of local raw materials.

In addition to the Halal sector, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha suggested that MVCC introduce reputable member enterprises to explore investment and business opportunities in Vietnam in areas such as energy, real estate, digital transformation, green transformation, energy infrastructure, telecommunications, education , healthcare, etc. through direct investment cooperation and joint ventures. The two sides need to actively support connecting enterprises to soon discuss specific cooperation projects. To support enterprises more effectively, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha suggested that MVCC consider and soon open a representative office in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi.

Mr. Richard Khor also said that in addition to supporting Malaysian enterprises to invest and do business in Vietnam, Malaysia also hopes to have more Vietnamese enterprises invest in Malaysia in fields such as electronics, semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, and food processing.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dato' Jeffery Tan - Secretary General of the Association of Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM), expressed his wish to cooperate closely to enhance bilateral investment and trade cooperation as well as expand cooperation in the Halal production industry. He assessed that Vietnam could become a Halal center due to its advantages in agricultural production, geographical location, and deep international integration. According to Mr. Jeffery Tan, Vietnam's potential in the Halal field is huge and Halal cooperation between the two countries still has a lot of room, which has not been properly exploited by both sides.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha affirmed that Halal will be a “new bridge, new driving force” in Vietnam’s trade and investment cooperation with Muslim countries and communities. Malaysia has experience and has in fact built 14 Halal industrial parks, and has developed a comprehensive Halal ecosystem, from production, certification, to trade and consumption. Vietnam hopes that ACCCIM will bring the successful model of Halal industrial parks in Malaysia to Vietnam. Halal enterprises of the two countries need to strengthen cooperation to take advantage of each side’s advantages, develop Halal supply chains, and bring the best Halal products to the region and the world. This is also a “golden opportunity” for Vietnamese enterprises to improve their capacity, expand exports and participate deeply in the global Halal market, especially in the fields of agriculture, tourism, food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha suggested that the focus of cooperation between the two countries on Halal in the coming time should be on the following contents: promoting negotiations, signing and mutual recognition of Halal certification; welcoming investment in Halal fields such as agriculture, tourism, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and supporting industries; facilitating the granting of Halal certification for Vietnamese products to participate in the global supply chain; cooperating in sharing experiences, providing legal, technical, training and human resource support for the Halal industry; supporting the promotion of Vietnamese products and services in the global Halal market.

Also on September 18, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha received Mr. Azlan Azri Zainal Abidin, Director of Industrial Development and Logistics, Sime Darby Property Berhad - one of the major real estate developers in Malaysia with many urban, industrial park and energy projects. Mr. Azlan expressed his desire to cooperate with Vietnam in the field of industrial park and logistics development, as well as green and smart urban areas.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said that the construction and development of a green, smart, modern, sustainable urban system, industrial park system and logistics system with a good environment and quality of life is one of Vietnam's top priorities, aiming to improve the speed and quality of urbanization and urban economic development. Vietnam encourages foreign enterprises with technology, capacity and experience to participate in investing and developing infrastructure, especially strategic infrastructure for transportation, large cities, clean energy, industrial parks and logistics, etc., thereby contributing to increasing investment attraction, creating momentum for socio-economic development and improving national competitiveness.