Susan Burns, U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, on Monday visited the production line of mooncakes at ABC Bakery, a Vietnamese bakery chain.

Mooncakes are traditionally eaten and given as gifts in Vietnam during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which takes place on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month every year.

This year, the festival falls on September 29.

There are numerous varieties of mooncakes consumed in Vietnam as the pastry comes in diverse shapes and designs and with abundant types of fillings.

During Monday’s visit, the consul general expressed her eagerness to sample the dragon fruit mooncake featuring California cream cheese and almonds.

For this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, ABC Bakery has merged premium U.S. agricultural items like blueberries, almonds, and California cream cheese with Vietnamese ingredients such as dragon fruit to introduce a fresh variety of mooncakes.

Kao Sieu Luc, CEO of ABC Bakery, revealed that he was invited by the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City to collaborate with the U.S. agricultural sector to facilitate the production of certain cakes using American ingredients.

This collaboration led to the introduction of mooncakes featuring American agricultural products like blueberries and almonds.

Consul General Burns highlighted the new mooncakes as a testament to the mutual benefits reaped by the United States and Vietnam through their cooperation.

According to her, the ABC Bakery and U.S. agricultural sector’s collaboration is more significant given the fact that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the United States.

Burns said she had confidence that this partnership will continue to strengthen in the years ahead.

She added that the food and agriculture sectors play a crucial role in the relationship between the United States and Vietnam.

Both countries represent significant markets for each other’s agricultural products, with the United States being the world’s largest cheese producer.

The promotion and enhancement of the joint utilization of agricultural products from both nations in food and confectionery production will be further emphasized by the United States in the near future, the diplomat asserted.

Inside the mooncake production line at ABC Bakery in Ho Chi Minh City, August 21, 2023. Photo: N.Tri / Tuoi Tre

During Burns’ visit, CEO Luc revealed that his company’s goal is to penetrate the U.S. market by blending Vietnamese and American agricultural resources to develop new products tailored to appeal to American consumers, with a particular focus on cake fillings.

In the upcoming years, the company plans to expand its offerings of mooncakes crafted from domestic ingredients to the U.S. and other nations.

In 2022, the company exported a modest 700-800 boxes of mooncakes to the U.S. market, while this year, the number has surged to around 10,000 boxes, with prices averaging around VND1 million (US$42) per box.

In recent times, numerous businesses have been actively promoting the export of confectionery items, particularly mooncakes.

This is carried out through both direct and indirect exports, where the products are sold to customers who take them abroad as part of their personal luggage.

As per this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival production schedule, the company plans to manufacture around 2.5 million cakes which represent a growth rate of approximately 500,000 cakes compared to the previous year.

Additionally, there is a planned four- to five-percent increase in the selling price.

However, when compared to last year, certain retailers are decreasing their orders, particularly within the lower and mid-price range.

Similarly, representatives from mooncake manufacturers such as Bibica and Nhu Lan have noted that the purchasing power has not been particularly strong while this year’s market witnessed early sales.

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