From exhibition stalls in Niigata to Fukuoka, Dak Lak’s agricultural products are gaining a stronger foothold in the Japanese market.

At the recent “Viet Nam Day 2026” event in Fukuoka, Japan, Dak Lak’s OCOP stall featured coffee, dried jackfruit, processed fruit and other products, representing a locality with distinctive agricultural strengths. From a trade promotion perspective, however, the more important question is whether, beyond the initial exposure, these products will continue to attract interest, gain the attention of importers as well as move deeper into distribution networks.

Delegates exploring Dak Lak agricultural products at the “Viet Nam Day 2026” event in Japan.

Fukuoka was not the first destination for Dak Lak’s agricultural products in Japan. Previously, in 2025, at the Niigata Food Messe International Food Fair in Niigata Prefecture, Dak Lak showcased nearly 300 products under the theme “Spreading the Finest Flavours of Viet Nam”, including coffee, cocoa, macadamia nuts, processed agricultural products and Lowen beer products for export.

Taken together, the two events point to a notable shift: Dak Lak is proactively bringing its products to the market, rather than waiting for further export opportunities to emerge.

Among the diverse product range, coffee, an iconic product, offers Dak Lak its strongest entry point for building a distintive brand story. Japan has been an important market for Dak Lak coffee for many years. However, with the province producing more than 530,000 tonnes annually, the challenge is not simply to increase export volumes to Japan, but to ensure that each coffee bean delivers greater value while strengthening the Dak Lak brand in international markets.

The Coffee Meditation session led by representatives of Trung Nguyen Legend Group.

Notably, within the programme, the Coffee Meditation session demonstrated a different approach to taking Dak Lak coffee to global consumers. Rather than presenting coffee solely as a product, the session conveyed it through an experience associated with the culture and the land. This is also one of Dak Lak’s advantages, as coffee is not only produced in one of Viet Nam’s key growing regions, but is also closely connected with the cultural space and communities that have shaped the locality’s identity.

However, natural advantages do not automatically translate into commercial advantages. They must be converted into commercial value through quality, origin and branding. A Dak Lak coffee brand can only establish a firm position when it combines consistent quality  with clear provenance, a distinctive product story, an understanding of consumer preferences alongside market requirements, and stable supply capacity. The same applies to cocoa, macadamia nuts, fruit combined with other processed products.

Bringing products to Japan may begin with an exhibition stall, but maintaining a foothold requires quality, distinctive branding and the capacity to turn trade promotion opportunities into lasting market presence, enabling the Dak Lak brand to make its mark in international markets.

Translated by KHUONG THAO