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More import competition looms
The Business Association of High-Quality Vietnamese Goods will organise many programmes to promote and develop markets for Vietnamese products at home and abroad.
Vu Kim Hanh, the association's chairwoman, said 2015 would be a year of reckoning for many local firms when goods imported from ASEAN countries and China would enjoy zero tariffs under the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement.
"Time is running out for Vietnamese businesses to consolidate their position in the domestic market," Hanh said.
Meanwhile, companies should link up with each other to establish and widen distribution systems so that Vietnamese goods can penetrate ASEAN and Chinese markets, she said.
With regard to the domestic market, Ho Duc Minh, the association's office manager, said they would implement the second phase of a programme to link producers and traders at traditional markets in the country.
Compared to the first phase, the second phase would increase the number of participating firms and expand the programme to more sectors, Minh told a press conference in HCM City yesterday.
Enterprises in the garment and textile and footwear sectors would receive some support in entering and sustaining their presence in traditional markets, he said.
Myanmar market
The association has also developed a plan to help Vietnamese high quality goods to better exploit the potential of ASEAN+1 markets.
On Monday, the association signed a co-operation agreement with the C.T Group to promote and distribute Vietnamese goods in Myanmar.
Under the agreement, the association will introduce prestigious and strong brands to the C.T Group, which will map out strategy to distribute the goods in Myanmar systematically, and build prestige for Vietnamese products in the country.
Tran Kim Chung, president of the C.T Group, said that in the initial stages, the group would bear the promotion and advertising costs and the enterprises would pledge to provide high quality goods at reasonable prices.
"With a population of 60 million, Myanmar has high demand for many kinds of consumer goods and the market presents great potential for Vietnamese products," Chung said.
Over the last three years, C.T Group has established a strong distribution network in Myanmar, establishing relations with most supermarkets, wholesale markets and large distributors there.
The group so far has introduced 34 Vietnamese brands, mainly processed food, cosmetics and fashion products.
C.T Group plans to build a "Viet Nam House" in Myanmar's capital. The 30-40 storey building will include a hotel, a trading center, offices and an area to display Vietnamese goods.
"Besides Myanmar, China is another potential market for Vietnamese goods," said Nguyen Lam Vien, the association's deputy chairman and general director of Vinamit.
The association would support domestic firms to access this market officially, he said.
He recommended that Vietnamese firms think of exporting their goods officially to China so that their market penetration can be sustained. "As of now, most Vietnamese firms sell their products to China via border trade, which is not stable and carries significant risk," he said.
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