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On the Chinese border, many Vietnamese goods are preferred
Many Vietnamese enterprises have found to their surprise that they can still sell made-in-Vietnam products in the mountainous border province of Lang Son even though Chinese goods flood through Lang Son’s Tan Thanh and Dong Dang border gates, according to a report in Saigon Tiep Thi.
During a Vietnamese goods promotion in Lang Son’s Van Quan and Bac Son districts, part of the ‘Buy Vietnamese goods’ campaign, enterprises realized that their products sold very well. Vinatex, for example, discovered that its garment sales in Lang Son were double sales in far more populous Thai Binh, a northern lowlands province.
What do customers need?
Enterprises have found out that many kinds of products are not readily available in the two districts, particularly processed foods, medicines and cosmetics. According to Dang Duy Bang, Sale Director of Traphaco Pharmaceuticals, there are very few Chinese-made pharmaceutical products found on the local market. It seems that local residents shun the made-in-China medicine, because they have heard about the low quality of the products.
Local residents are also wary of Chinese processed foods. Tran Quang Tung from Nutifood, a dairy producer, said that previously, Chinese powdered milk sold very well in the region. However, consumers have turned their back on it and other Chinese products after newspapers reported the scandal of melamine-laced dairy products made in China.
Tung said that the absence of China made goods means the big opportunity for Vietnamese goods. Nutifood recorded 30 million dong in sales in Bac Son district after two days of selling dairy products here.
Lix and My Hao, producers of household cleaners and cosmetics, were also very happy because China’s detergent and dishwater were not available in Lang Son. Both firms earn high revenues from selling products in the two districts.
The Chinese products found in Lang Son province markets are mainly for household use, such as electric appliances, pots, blankets, clothes, footwear and handbags. Ngoc Hai, the owner of the Kiosk No 3 in Van Quan district town, said that the handbags, schoolbags and clothes offered in her kiosk are all sourced from China. For these kinds of products, people do not care about their origin. They will buy the products if they think they have reasonable prices and good designs.
Phan Thi Hien, the owner of a kiosk specializing in selling blankets, pillows, mattresses and handbags in Bac Son district town, pointing to the goods on display at the kiosk, also said that they all were from China.
However, the availability of Chinese-made soft goods in Lang Son does not mean that Vietnamese enterprises cannot sell their products here. The wares of Vietnam Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) and Kim Hang, the household product maker, sold well during the two market days.
Some Vietnamese products cross the border into China
Because distances are long and the population low, many enterprises still cannot find distributors for their products. According to Tang Quang Trong, Business Director of My Hao Cosmetic Company, it would be difficult to find people willing to be exclusive distributors. It’s easier to find those who will take charge of several product lines.
Many Vietnamese enterprises were surprised to find that Unilever’s products have been selling in Lang Son for a long time. Several years ago, when realizing that local consumers did not like Chinese products any more, foreign producers, including Unilever made an effort bring their products to the region. My Hao has now learned the lesson also.
Trong, the My Hao executive, said that when surveying the market, he found out that My Hao dish soap not only can compete with Chinese goods in Vietnam’s border provinces, but can also compete with Chinese products in China itself thanks to its low price and high quality.
vietnamnet, SGTT
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