Billions of dollars worth of Vietnam’s products are exported via large global retail chains, but these products must adhere to strict requirements to be accepted by supermarkets.

The US-China trade war and new FTAs have given a push to Vietnam’s textile and garment industry, helping it gain two-digit growth rates.

There is no regulation about the discount rates suppliers have to pay to supermarkets or the the ratio of Vietnam-made goods that must be available at supermarkets.

Vietnam-made dairy products, which have certain advantages in the home market, continue to be prosperous.

The product items of labor-intensive industries that investors hope will benefit from the production relocation movement, including textile & garments, footwear and toys, still have not seen export growth breakthroughs in the US as expected.

Over the last 10 years, rice exports have brought $2-3 billion to Vietnam a year. However, they are facing difficulties in nearly all key markets this year.

Vietnam has no regulations on criteria for goods to be labeled ‘made in Vietnam’, so consumers have no basis to distinguish ‘made in Vietnam’ and foreign-made products.

Some unprofitable projects under the management of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), called ‘trillion-dong zombies’, have begun making money.

Vietnam’s woodwork industry runs the risk of being watched by the US government for taxation as its export turnover has soared, especially in the context of the sharp rise in Chinese investment.

By increasing processed and high-tech products and taking advantage of free trade agreements, Vietnam’s goods are being increasingly chosen by consumers in the world market.

With 3.3 million motorbikes bought each year, the fourth largest market in the world for motorbikes continues to grow, with manufacturers launching new models into the Vietnamese market.

Meeting barriers in loyal markets, Vietnam’s businesses have begun eyeing Nepal, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Islamic countries in an effort to diversity export markets.

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) in 2018 granted government guarantee to two power projects developed by EVN and PetroVietnam (PVN) with the total value of $1.6 billion. 

The national oil and gas group PetroVietnam is taking necessary steps to recover the investment capital in unprofitable projects overseas, estimated at $800 million.

Vietnam’s home appliances are seen by consumers as good as foreign made products, but they still cannot catch the eyes of Vietnamese consumers.

There are two clear investment tendencies in the automobile industry. First, becoming the leading assembling center in Southeast Asia, and second, buying technologies and making automobiles for export.

Twenty years ago, five large automobile manufacturers asked Vietnam to open the automobile market. But the proposal was refused.

The US-China trade war and Chinese yuan devaluation have increased the risk of a widening trade gap, with more imports from China flowing to Vietnam.

Once putting high hopes on the Vietnamese retail market, described as very promising with 90 million consumers, many retailers have had to leave the country.

The doors to export markets have opened after the signing of government-to-government agreements. However, enterprises still have to overcome many challenges.