Export picture brightening in Q1

On March 19, Vinh Hiep Co., Ltd. exported two containers of organic coffee to Japan, one of the most demanding export markets that mandates stringent quality requirements for agricultural products.

After two years of negotiation, Vietnam’s first shipment of organic coffee officially forayed into the Japanese market, with a price 30 per cent higher compared to regular coffee.

A rebound in order intakes has helped diverse billion-dollar export sectors to manage fair growth in the first quarter (Q1).

For instance, as of March 15, the local coffee industry raked in $1.57 billion in total export value, a 61 per cent jump on-year, and is estimated to hit $1.9 billion in the whole quarter, setting a record.

Besides coffee, shipments of diverse export sectors continually reaching the global markets are creating motivation to beef up production.

The textile apparel sector, after missing its $44 billion export target in 2023, is witnessing rosier signs, with Q1’s figure estimated to approximate $9 billion.

Than Duc Viet, CEO of Garment 10 Corporation, under state conglomerate Vinatex, revealed that exports were hailing brighter signs compared to last year, yet difficulties persist in the face of a complex and unpredictable geopolitical situation.

“We have many export shipments to the US and EU markets which incur impacts from conflict on the Red Sea. At the moment, the impacts remains insignificant as for export orders to EU, foreign partners bear ship leasing charges and associated costs, yet the longer delivery time might badly influence sale activities of importers,” said Viet.

Garment 10’s current solution is to push up production to be able to make up for extended delivery time due to Red Sea tension.

“2024 is forecast to be another challenging year for the textile apparel sector as total aggregate demand has yet to fully recover. That is why our company is opting for orders of smaller size, yet of high quality, a complex structure and swift delivery,” said Viet.

Meanwhile, Vinatex has shaken hands with foreign partners on the production of special-use products to permeate niche markets. In mid-March the group inked a deal with UK-based group Coats for the production of fire-resistant fabric and garments.

This segment is deemed to secure fast growth pace and enormous potential for development in the context that safety standards have become increasingly stringent in leading global markets.

“Embracing fire-resistance fabric production is one of the steps to navigate out of conventional garment production which incurs stiff competition in pricing,” said Le Tien Truong, Vinatex chairman. “In the near term, Vinatex and UK partner Coats engage in producing fire-resistant garments for G7 markets.”

The latest figures by General Department of Vietnam Customs show that Vietnam’s export value approximated $75.9 billion as of March 15, up 20.6 per cent on-year.

Statistics from the end of February show that 39 out of 45 export items exhibited growth compared to a similar period last year.

The export value of many manufacturing items showcased an impressive double-digit growth, such as timber and wooden furniture up 43.8 per cent, steel and iron up 45.4 per cent, footwear 18.3 per cent, and textile apparel items up 15 per cent.

Vietnam draws nearly 2.7 million foreign arrivals in Q1 Vietnam welcomed more than 2.69 million foreign arrivals in the first quarter of 2023, 29.7 times higher than that of the same period last year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) has reported.

Industrial real estate picture contrasting from north to south While industrial real estate in the north is recording a strong increase in supply, rent, and occupancy rates, the south of the country is enduring reduced rental demand and legislation obstacles.

FDI saw double-digit growth in Q1 In the first quarter (Q1) of the year, foreign direct investment (FDI) hit $6.17 billion, an increase of 13.4 per cent on-year, and newly registered capital was up 58 per cent to reach $4.77 billion, while new-project registration was up over 23 per cent to 644, according to the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA), under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.