How should Vietnamese enterprises equip themselves to compete with foreign products in the domestic market and to penetrate foreign markets after the Vietnamese market is flooded with foreign products? Vietnam Business Forum talked with Mr Tran Viet Hung, director of National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP), on this issue.
Vietnam’s accession to the WTO is an opportunity for Vietnamese enterprises to expand the market and develop investment in other countries, but this is also a challenge against domestic products, with severe competition from imported products. What is the role of intellectual property rights in assisting domestic products?
Vietnam’s accession to the WTO opens access to a commercial playing field in which commercial barriers are minimised and policies are easier. Vietnamese commodities have an opportunity to penetrate into the world market, but foreign products also have an easier time entering Vietnam. At present, Vietnamese products have entered South America and Africa. However, products of countries in these regions have also arrived in Vietnam. Thus, Vietnamese products have to fiercely compete in both foreign and domestic markets. So, it is necessary to ensure fair competition with intellectual property rights. Competing products should be protected in both domestic and foreign markets.
At present, Vietnamese enterprises are more sensitive and ready to protect their brand names. Nonetheless, to ensure intellectual property protection, enterprises should check their products and register for intellectual property rights in competent organs. When deciding to send their products to a new market, they should register for protection in that market. The registration is not only simply intellectual property protection, but also is a chance for Vietnamese enterprises to exploit or sell its intellectual property to partners, with licences or patents, to gain high profits.
However, Vietnamese companies have to invest more and have long-term plans to develop intellectual property because if products are not developed in design, function and feature, the competitiveness will suffer. If product protection is not well-implemented, products will be easily counterfeited by others.
So, what should Vietnamese enterprises do to expand into foreign markets?
Vietnamese enterprises should always hold the initiative, gain essential knowledge to protect themselves, explore the market as well as commercial regulations carefully to limit risks, and be confident of the international market. Besides, quality is the top criteria of consumers. Vietnamese enterprises have to improve design and quality to match consumer tastes.
The Vietnam Intellectual Property Association is organising the “Selecting Vietnamese products - Standardising WTO intellectual property” programme. How will this programme help Vietnamese enterprises?
This programme aims to promote the competitiveness of Vietnamese commodities on the WTO market. The selection of Vietnamese commodities meeting WTO standards on intellectual property is a useful programme for enterprises. The programme selects products of strong attractiveness, not only meeting domestic criteria but also WTO standards. Apart from the competitiveness and brand name, the products are also valued in terms of quality and attractiveness to consumers. The programme will assess Vietnamese goods on the Vietnamese and international markets.
I think that this programme will help Vietnamese manufacture products able to competing on both domestic and international markets.
Gia Bao
Vietnamese
