Korea Export Workshop 2025

The first half of the day covered regulatory fundamentals. Specialists from the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry walked through Korea's customs classification system, quarantine and labelling requirements for food and cosmetics, and the K-Halal certification path that has become increasingly relevant for Vietnamese producers targeting Korea's Muslim consumer segment. Real customs declarations were used as worked examples, including common rejection reasons.

The second half pivoted to commercial channels. Three of Korea's largest e-commerce platforms — including a B2C marketplace, a social-commerce app, and a vertical platform for premium agricultural goods — presented onboarding requirements, fee structures, and merchandising practices that work for Southeast Asian sellers. Participants left with a one-page channel selection matrix tailored to their product category.

Logistics, often the single biggest blocker for Vietnamese exporters, received its own track. A panel of three Vietnam-based forwarders specialising in Korea routes broke down sea, air and rail options, including the new China–Korea rail combination that opens up cost-effective overland routing for time-sensitive goods. The session ended with a live cost-comparison workshop using real shipment scenarios from attendees.

Da Nang was chosen as the host city deliberately: VGEA wanted to give central Vietnam exporters — especially in seafood, processed foods and craft goods — direct access to Korea-market expertise without travelling to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. The workshop will be replicated quarterly in 2025, alternating between central, northern and southern Vietnam, to keep the format accessible to producers of every scale.