A special kind of Japanese beef that is a dozen times more expensive than Vietnamese meat will be available in the Southeast Asian country early next month, a Japanese official said Wednesday.

Hida beef, slaughtered from the famous black-haired cattle raised in the Japanese prefecture of Gifu, will enter the Vietnamese market in early August, the region’s governor, Furuta Hazime, on a Vietnam visit, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

The specialty recently won the top prize at the Kinki Tokai Hokuriku Beef Cattle Exhibition in Japan, fetching around 18,000 Japanese yen (US$145) a kg in its home market, Hazime said.

A black-haired cow. Photo: Gifu Prefecture

Hida beef is thus even costlier than its Kobe counterpart, which is a popular deluxe meat for affluent Vietnamese consumers, according to the governor.

Normal beef is selling at VND250,000 ($12) a kg at most in Vietnam.

Hida beef will be mostly distributed to luxury Japanese restaurants in Vietnam to serve the increasing number of middle-class consumers in the country, Hazime said.

The beef, called Hida-gyu in Japanese, is taken from the black-haired Japanese cattle breed, which should be raised in Gifu Prefecture for at least 14 months.

It is known as one of the finest quality varieties of beef, with the highest quality marbling, luster, color, texture and smell.

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