Trade project increases Vietnam’s competitiveness
Nguyen Thi Tong, secretary of the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (Lefaso), has said that the competitiveness of Vietnamese leather and footwear enterprises has improved during the last two years due to the EU-Vietnam Multilateral Trade Assistance Project III (MUTRAP III).
Speaking at a workshop for the project, Ms Tong said enhancing the competitiveness of the country’s leather and footwear enterprises is important, as these two goods are the key export items of Vietnam.
Since 2009, MUTRAP III has trained senior management of leather and footwear enterprises on commercial policies, including technical support for development and approaching the markets, Ms Tong said. She stated that the project had helped Vietnam build a trade name in footwear, both in domestic and international markets.
Although Vietnam is the fourth largest exporter of footwear in the world, around 90% of its exports are for foreign companies which supply most of the needed materials from South Korea, Taiwan and China. Vietnam exports footwear worth $2 billion annually, but only 10-15% of these bear a Vietnamese brand name.
