Vietnam exports first processed chicken shipment to South Korea
C.P. Vietnam shipped Vietnam’s first processed chicken products to South Korea on August 25, more than four months after the countries opened their markets. The approval followed an eight-step review covering farms, disease controls, slaughter, heat treatment, packaging and transport.
First shipment follows bilateral market opening
Vietnam exported its first commercial shipment of processed chicken to South Korea on August 25, marking the first entry of the product into one of Asia’s more demanding food-import markets. C.P. Vietnam dispatched the shipment from its CPV Food Binh Phuoc poultry production and processing complex in Dong Nai City, according to VietBao and Dan Viet.
The shipment came more than four months after Vietnam and South Korea completed negotiations and formally opened their markets to each other’s processed chicken products. The two countries signed a memorandum on veterinary and animal quarantine cooperation on April 21 and announced the bilateral market opening in Hanoi on April 22, Dan Viet reported.
C.P. Vietnam is the first company authorized to use the new route. The volume and value of the initial shipment were not disclosed. Dương Tất Thắng, head of Vietnam’s Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health, said the agreement represented an important milestone in bilateral agricultural cooperation and could allow more qualified Vietnamese processors to enter the South Korean market.
Eight-step assessment covered the entire chain
Approval required C.P. Vietnam to complete an eight-step assessment conducted by South Korea’s Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency and Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The company also answered two detailed questionnaires of about 1,000 pages each. The review covered production areas, animal disease conditions, inspections before and after slaughter, processing, heat treatment, packaging and transport.
South Korean interagency teams inspected the integrated Feed–Farm–Food system at CPV Food Binh Phuoc between July and December 2025. Dan Viet said C.P. Vietnam had to demonstrate full compliance with the criteria across its production chain, including the feed mill, farms and processing plant. The controls support food safety, disease management and traceability, which are central requirements for animal-origin products entering South Korea.
Investment in processing supports wider access
The CPV Food Binh Phuoc complex represents an investment of about $250 million. It includes a feed mill, hatchery, farm network, slaughter facility and processing plant. The integrated model gives the company control from agricultural inputs through finished food products and provides a platform for further investment in technology and higher-value processing.
C.P. Vietnam has operated in the country since 1993 and currently runs 12 feed mills, two pork slaughtering and cutting plants and six food-processing plants, alongside farms in several provinces and cities. With South Korea added, its processed chicken is now present in eight international markets, including Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and Russia, according to the two publications.
South Korea’s approval creates an opportunity, but it also establishes a demanding benchmark for other Vietnamese poultry processors. Future participation will depend on their ability to document disease controls, maintain consistent heat-treatment and packaging systems, and provide traceability across the production chain. For producers already investing in deep processing, the new access offers a route to diversify sales beyond the domestic market and compete in higher-standard destinations.
