A southwestern Japan group has set up an office in Vietnam to promote businesses from the region.
The organization held the first event for the Kyushu Promotion Center in Hanoi on Tuesday. A beef company from Kyushu and the region's economic federation are behind the effort.
Enterprises from Kyushu's three prefectures set up booths at the event to expand their sales channels.
Restaurant owners from Hanoi were among visitors who tried regional specialties like Japanese sake and tarako, or salted cod roe. One participant said: "These are the highest-quality products in the world. I was curious to come here to discover the sake, wine and beef."
Kamichiku Holdings President and the organizer of the event Kamimura Masashi said: "Vietnam has young energy, vitality and good future prospects. And the country is geographically close to Kyushu. We hope the facility will be like a bridge connecting Vietnam and Kyushu."
Vietnam has a population of about 100 million. Its economy grew more than 8 percent last year. Personal earnings are rising and the country's middle-income consumers are expected to boost spending.