Strengthening Trade Links Between Vietnam and Morocco
The commercial exchanges between Vietnam and Morocco have shown remarkable growth, achieving a 26% increase in the first half of 2026. With a diverse range of Vietnamese offerings and Morocco's strategic position in North Africa, both nations possess significant potential to broaden their trade relations and enhance the access of Vietnamese products to African markets. In 2025, bilateral trade reached approximately $380 million, reflecting a 25% increase from the previous year. This positive trajectory continued into 2026, with a notable 26% rise in the first six months.
Trân Lê Dung, head of the Vietnam Trade Office in Morocco, highlighted that Vietnamese exports to Morocco are quite varied. Key exported products include telephones and their components, computers, electronics, textiles and garments, footwear, coffee, pepper, cashew nuts, seafood, rice products, machinery and equipment, processed food, and a wide range of consumer goods. Conversely, Vietnam primarily imports fertilizers and raw materials from Morocco, along with chemicals, minerals, and various industrial inputs.
A striking feature of this bilateral trade is the substantial trade surplus that Vietnam enjoys over Morocco. Vietnamese exports to the North African market significantly exceed imports from Morocco, indicating that Morocco is not only an appealing consumer market but may also serve as a gateway for Vietnamese products to enter North Africa and parts of West Africa.
Through direct contacts with Moroccan importers, distributors, and businesses, the Vietnam Trade Office has found that Vietnamese products are generally well-received due to their quality, competitive pricing, and adaptability to customer requirements. Recent business matching activities organized by the Trade Office have shown Moroccan partners expressing particular interest in coffee, cashew nuts, spices, seafood, processed food, confectionery, and consumer goods. Notably, dried rice vermicelli and rice sheets used for preparing Vietnamese spring rolls have become favorites among Moroccan consumers.
Market Opportunities and Challenges for Vietnamese Products
However, Trân Lê Dung cautioned that the Moroccan market has its own specific characteristics. Consumers are highly price-sensitive and place significant importance on packaging, labeling in French or Arabic, product origin, and compliance with Islamic cultural practices and standards. For food products and other items subject to Halal certification, food safety, health controls, and traceability requirements, Vietnamese companies must pay careful attention to these regulations to facilitate market access.
Moreover, the visibility of Vietnamese brands in Morocco remains relatively low. While many Vietnamese products are of high quality, Moroccan consumers may not always recognize their origin, as they are imported through intermediaries or marketed under distributors' own brands. Therefore, Vietnamese companies should not only focus on selling their products but also invest in brand development, localizing packaging, providing information in French and Arabic, and collaborating with well-established distributors.
Morocco has a relatively open economy with strong demand for imports of raw materials, machinery, equipment, energy, food products, and consumer goods. The country's efforts to accelerate investments in infrastructure, industry, logistics, and tourism, alongside preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, are generating additional demand for machinery, equipment, construction materials, furniture, consumer goods, and products for the hospitality and catering sectors.
In terms of production capabilities, Vietnam is well-positioned to supply many products that Morocco needs. Vietnam has significant strengths in tropical agricultural products, seafood, processed food, textiles and garments, footwear, wooden products, and electronics. Nevertheless, Vietnamese enterprises continue to face several challenges, including geographical distance and associated logistics costs, as there are currently no direct and regular maritime links between Vietnam and Morocco, leading to relatively long transportation times.
Additionally, Vietnam and Morocco have not yet concluded a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), while Morocco has signed FTAs with several major partners. As a result, Vietnamese products face competition from goods originating from the European Union, Turkey, and countries benefiting from tariff preferences in the Moroccan market. Furthermore, Morocco is implementing increasingly stringent requirements regarding technical standards, food safety, health controls, labeling, Halal certification, and customs procedures, while also enhancing trade defense measures for certain products when imports rise rapidly.
In this context, Trân Lê Dung advises Vietnamese companies to carefully examine applicable import duties based on HS codes, as well as mandatory standards and required certifications before signing any contracts. They should also verify the reliability of their partners, exercise caution in payment terms, and prefer secure payment mechanisms, especially when dealing with new clients.
Since the beginning of this year, the Vietnam Trade Office in Morocco has conducted several promotional activities aimed at establishing more direct contacts between Vietnamese businesses and Moroccan importers, distributors, and retail networks, rather than merely providing market information.
One of the main promotional activities was Vietnam's participation in the International Agricultural Show in Morocco (SIAM 2026), held in Meknes, one of the largest events dedicated to agriculture and agri-food in Morocco and Africa. Through this exhibition, the Trade Office showcased and promoted Vietnamese products and sectors where Vietnam has export advantages while actively establishing contacts with Moroccan businesses, importers, and distributors.
Furthermore, the Trade Office collaborated with the Casablanca-Settat Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Services to organize a program showcasing the economic and commercial potential of Vietnam and facilitating business contacts in Casablanca. Trân Lê Dung also mentioned that the Trade Office encouraged several Moroccan importers to participate in the Vietnam International Sourcing Expo 2026, scheduled for September 3-5 in Ho Chi Minh City. This event is expected to provide Moroccan companies with the opportunity to meet directly with Vietnamese manufacturers, visit their factories, seek sourcing opportunities, and consider establishing direct import relationships. This initiative is particularly significant as several Moroccan companies are looking to shift from importing Vietnamese products through companies to direct cooperation with Vietnamese manufacturers and exporters.
The potential for expanding trade between Vietnam and Morocco remains considerable. With its strategic position in North Africa, relatively open economy, and extensive network of trade agreements, Morocco is not just a market of over 37 million consumers; it could also become a vital gateway for Vietnamese products to establish a stronger presence in North Africa and other African markets.
As reported by lecourrier.vn.
