The top agriculture officials from Washington state and Vietnam inked an agreement recently to work together to strengthen agricultural development and the promotion of agricultural trade.

Washington State Department of Agriculture director Derek Sandison announced the pact with Vietnam’s Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Trung on April 10.

The signing of the MOU was the kickoff to the trade mission where Sandison was part of nearly five dozen traveling as delegates of a trade mission to Vietnam.

The delegation included Commerce Director Michael Fong, Agriculture Director Derek Sandison, Office of Financial Management Director David Schumacher, state senators Joe Nguyễn and June Robinson, and state representatives My-Linh Thai and Steve Tharinger.

The Washington delegation was focused on expanding business connections, promoting Washington food agricultural products, and learning more about opportunities in the Vietnamese market, the WSDA explained in a release. Delegates represented products including wheat and wheat flour, apples, wine, cherries, and hay.

Vietnam is among the fastest-growing economies in Asia with several advanced manufacturing sectors setting up shop in the country. Washington companies with a presence in Vietnam include Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Brooks and SSA Marine. In 2023, Vietnam was Washington state’s 5th largest export market when including agriculture such as apples, wheat and dairy. Last year Washington apple exports alone reached $57 million.

Trade mission activities included meetings with Vietnamese leaders, visits to various manufacturing facilities and innovation centers, meetings with cultural and higher education leaders, as well as business networking and product promotion events.

Much of the itinerary was focused on strengthening trade and collaboration opportunities in advanced technology sectors such as agriculture, clean energy and artificial intelligence.

Source: Washington State Department of Agriculture