Taiwan Excellence promotes trade with Vietnam

Could you shed some light on the major objectives and outcomes of the five Taiwan Excellence campaigns that have been held in Vietnam?

I’m very proud to announce that Taiwan Excellence has seen an extraordinary response in the last four years. Organised by the Bureau of Foreign Trade, the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan and implemented by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the fifth year of Taiwan Excellence officially represents 45 award-winning brands spanning across different fields, ranging from information and communication technology (ICT), home appliances, health care and fitness, and transportation. Back in our first year in 2010, we had only 17 brands. The number of award-winning brands has significantly increased from 26 in 2011, 30 in 2012, 41 in 2013 and 45 this year.

This is the fifth year we have run this campaign in the Vietnamese market but it is the 22nd year we’ve launched the campaign out of Taiwan since 1992. I believe that Taiwanese products are appealing to global consumers in general and Vietnamese consumers in particular because of high quality standard and outstanding designs which are able to meet the high demanding needs.

Vietnam is currently Taiwan’s 13th largest trading partner, ranking 8th in terms of Taiwan's exports and 20th in terms of imports. In what ways has Taiwan Excellence helped promote trade ties between Vietnam and Taiwan?

As you very well know, Taiwan and Vietnam have always been strategic trading partners. According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, Taiwan is one of Vietnam’s largest foreign investors with over $28 billion registered by the end of 2013. Statistics from the Ministry of Planning and Investment also showed that the bilateral trade in 2013 between Vietnam and Taiwan reached $12 billion, in which Vietnam’s export value to Taiwan reached $2.6 billion and Vietnam’s imports from Taiwan was $8.9 billion, a 14.3 per cent and 5.6 per cent increase from the previous year respectively.

Taking inspiration from this relationship, the theme for these campaigns is “Taiwan Excellence - Excellent Lifestyles,” which are supported by various promotional activities to engage local consumers and business associates. These activities have not only given Vietnamese consumers the opportunity to personally experience Taiwan’s high-quality products but also many Taiwanese brands can benefit from the chance to interact with local customers. Taiwan Excellence has been participating in many national and international trade fairs and exhibitions in Vietnam as well as created our own brand promotional activities in shopping malls to attract local consumers. In regards to business-to-business area, Taiwan Trade Centre has been hosting many meetings, seminars for Taiwan and Vietnamese entrepreneurs frequently.

Taiwanese firms have a strength in supporting industries which are now of importance for Vietnam’s investment attraction policy. Will you host any special events to encourage Taiwanese investments into this sector in Vietnam?

Our government and entrepreneurs consider Vietnam a key strategic market. Supporting industries are major strengths for Taiwanese firms. One notable activity we organised last year was the presentation of 22 famous Taiwan supporting industry brands alongside 41 Taiwan Excellence award-winning brands in healthcare, ICT and lifestyle to the Vietnamese market. We witnessed great interest from Vietnamese B2B consumers in our products in the trade fairs, and opportunities are increasing.

Taiwan Excellence campaigns have focused on Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Do you plan to expand this format to other cities and provinces in Vietnam?

As we all know, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are the hubs of new trends and technologies where all the brands are presenting their best products. The two cities, where most of the biggest universities and academies are based, are home to millions of Vietnamese young people. They are Vietnam’s future and our major clients. Besides Taiwan Excellence, we are going to launch a new campaign named Taiwan Smiles in southern cities and provinces in Vietnam and I believe that our activities will spread further in the near future to reach many more Vietnamese consumers.