Global buyers double down on Vietnam as supply chains shift

The Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade unveiled that Vietnam is preparing to welcome hundreds of global buyers who are major corporations and enterprises at the forthcoming ‘Vietnam International Sourcing (VIS) 2026 event, to be held in Ho Chi Minh City in September.

Now in its fourth consecutive edition, VIS 2026 has established itself as a reputable international event, bringing global buyers to meet directly with Vietnamese enterprises, while also combining field visits to raw material areas and manufacturing facilities.

Last year, the event drew strong interest, attracting 450 foreign business delegations from 60 countries and territories for supply chain connections.

Vietnam is a major sourcing hub for global buyers

According to the Vietnam Trade Office in the United States, in a recent meeting, representatives of Walmart confirmed they will send senior executives to attend and work at VIS 2026.

Vietnam is currently among the top five exporting countries supplying goods to Walmart’s global system.

Each year, Walmart places orders worth billions of dollars for Vietnam-made products to be sold across its retail network, with both order volume and value rising annually.

The group had participated in all three previous editions of VIS in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Over the past three editions, alongside Walmart, the event has attracted major names such as Uniqlo, Central Group, Coppel, Decathlon and LuLu Group International to Vietnam. These buyers have either secured new suppliers across a wide range of product categories or expanded orders with existing partners.

Do Ngoc Hung, trade counsellor and head of Vietnam Trade Office in the United States, said that through the three editions, the office has connected hundreds of US buyers with Vietnamese manufacturers.

“Many purchase contracts have been signed and established directly at the events,” he said.

As US companies increasingly view Vietnam as a more professional sourcing destination, this also implies significant room for export growth to the market of more than 350 million people. In the first quarter of this year, Vietnam’s exports to the United States rose sharply by 24.3 per cent, reaching $39 billion.

Businesses from the 27-member European Union are focusing on product groups such as wood and furniture, electronics, textiles and garments, footwear, processed foods and agricultural products. The EU is Vietnam’s third-largest export market after the United States and China.

Last year alone, Vietnam exported $475 billion worth of goods to global markets, including major destinations such as the United States with more than $153 billion – up 28.1 per cent, the EU with $56.2 billion – up 8.6 per cent, ASEAN with $38.4 billion – up 3.8 per cent, and China with $70.4 billion – up 14.8 per cent on-year.

Through engagement with global buyers, Vietnamese businesses are gaining a better understanding of market-specific preferences, enabling them to upgrade production and meet new standards.

Tran Ngoc Quan, trade counsellor of Vietnam in Belgium and the EU, noted that global buyers are not only seeking competitively priced products, but also value long-term production capacity, flexibility, reliability, and transparency across the entire value chain.

“European consumers have strong demand for new products –recyclability in textiles and sustainability in coffee, for example. Therefore, EU buyers are no longer looking for simple exporters as before, but increasingly prioritise partners with sustainable production capabilities, transparency, and compliance with stringent environmental and traceability standards,” he said.

The growing return of international buyers to Vietnam not only reflects the country’s existing advantages, but also highlights substantial room for further expansion in production and exports.

Going forward, maintaining quality, raising standards and developing sustainable production will be key for Vietnam to remain a preferred destination in ever-shifting global supply chains.

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