What to Look for When Sourcing Food Products from Vietnam (and Why It Matters More Than Ever)
Vietnam has been in the news a lot lately when it comes to food safety, and it’s not always for the right reasons. Vietnamese authorities have recently reported a sharp rise in food-borne illness cases along with several high-profile cases involving illegal or non-compliant food production, prompting officials to call for stronger enforcement nationwide. For retailers and distributors evaluating whether to bring in products from Vietnam, that raises a fair question: how do you know what you’re actually getting?
It’s a good question, and one that’s important to answer definitively rather than avoid.
The Real Story Isn’t as Simple as the Headlines
It’s true that Vietnam’s food safety enforcement has faced real gaps, and regulators have taken notice. The Vietnamese government has moved to tighten oversight, with national leadership directing stricter enforcement and closer monitoring of high-risk categories. While some may take this as a sign that Vietnamese food manufacturing broadly can’t be trusted, we believe that it is actually a sign that the country is actively working to raise its own bar.
The reality is that food safety standards vary enormously from one factory to the next, and that is just as true in Vietnam as it is anywhere else in the world. Some manufacturers cut corners. Others invest heavily in certification, testing, and process controls that meet or exceed the standards required to sell into markets like the US and EU. The difference isn’t really about which country a product comes from. It’s about which specific factory made it and the standards to which that factory actually holds itself.
That’s exactly why sourcing decisions shouldn’t be made on the basis of a country label alone. It’s also, frankly, part of why so many US buyers have historically looked to other countries in the region for products like canned seafood. It’s not because Vietnam lacks the capability, but because verifying which manufacturers meet the bar takes real, hands-on diligence that not every importer is willing to do.
What We Actually Look For
At Manumo Trading USA, every factory we work with has to clear a high bar before we’ll bring their products to the US, and we stand behind that with real, verifiable certifications, not just placations and promises. All of the factories we work with are FDA-registered and hold the following certifications:
ISO 22000
HACCP
BRC
HALAL
In addition, Saku’s manufacturing partner also holds BSCI and I-REC certifications. It also brings nearly 20 years of export experience, having shipped compliant products internationally long before we began working with them.
Why This Matters for Retailers and Distributors
These certifications aren’t just badges. Each one represents an independent, third-party audit of a factory’s food safety systems, quality control processes, and–in the case of BSCI–labor practices. For a retailer or distributor evaluating a new supplier, that’s the kind of verification that should matter far more than country of origin alone.
When you’re deciding whether to bring in products from Vietnam, or from anywhere overseas, the right questions aren’t “is this country safe?” but:
What certifications does the specific factory hold and can they be verified?
Is the factory FDA-registered for US import?
Does the importer have a direct relationship with the manufacturer or are there unverified layers in between?
How long has the factory been exporting internationally and to which markets?
Our Commitment
We built Manumo Trading USA around direct relationships with manufacturers we’ve vetted ourselves, not just factories that happened to offer the lowest price. Both An Nam and Saku’s factories meet internationally recognized food safety and quality standards, and we’re glad to share documentation with any retailer or distributor doing their own due diligence.
Vietnam has real strengths as a sourcing market: skilled manufacturers, deep export experience, and increasingly, a regulatory environment that’s actively raising its own standards. Our job is to make sure the factories we bring to the US reflect the best of that, not the exception.