Workers make cloths for export at a factory in Vietnam (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has shipped footwear productsto nearly 100 countries worldwide, with 72 of them buying at least 1 million USDof the products, reported the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association(LEFASO).
Statistics from the General Department of Customs showedthat the US remained Vietnam’s largest footwear importer as of late May with 1.99billion USD, up 13.9 percent year-on-year and accounting for 35.2 percent ofVietnam’s total footwear export value.
The European Union (EU) ranked second with 1.76 billion USD,up 9.7 percent annually and making up 31.15 percent of the total. It wasfollowed by China (418.4 million USD), Japan (284.4 million USD), the Republicof Korea (RoK) (158.3 million USD). Those five markets accounted for 83.3percent of Vietnam’s earnings from footwear export.
The US also took the lead in buying Vietnam’s handbags,suitcases and briefcases, spending in excess of 555 million USD, up 6 percentand making up 41.1 percent of Vietnam’s shipments of those products. Behind theUS was the EU (365 million USD), Japan (146.5 million USD), China (57.6 millionUSD), the RoK (52.8 million USD). The five top markets accounted for 87.2percent of the total export value of handbags, suitcases and briefcases ofVietnam.
Nearly 80 percent of Vietnam’s leather product and footwearexport value comes from factories located in the south, the southeast and thesouthwest regions. Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces of Binh Duongand Dong Nai are currently the largest footwear and handbag producers.
In the north, most leather and footwear factories areconcentrated in Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Hanoi, Ninh Binh and ThaiBinh. In the central region, only Da Nang city and Quang Nam province have somelarge-scale production facilities.
In the first half of the year, the leather and footwear sectorearned 8.7 billion USD from exports, marking a 11 percent increase, including 7billion USD from footwear and 1.65 billion USD from handbags and suitcases, up12 percent and 4 percent, respectively.
It is forecast that the total earning this year will hit17.8 billion USD, up 10 percent annually.
The LEFASO suggested that firms join manufacturing chains athome, in the region and the world while adopting advanced technologies and exploitingadvantages offered by free trade agreements in which Vietnam is a member.-VNA
VNA
