With woodwork exports, Vietnam is making steady progress in the export of handicrafts. In recent years, many localities restored and developed traditional handicraft production, and built and expanded relationships with leading exporters. With huge potential and strong capacity, the handicraft industry is considered one of Vietnam’s 10 major exports and was forecast to bring in some US$1 billion in 2008, up over 35 per cent against 2007. In the first two months this year, Vietnam earned US$150 million from handicraft export, an increase of nearly 25 per cent. This figure is a solid start toward realizing this year’s goal.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnamese handicraft products are present in 136 countries and territories, with annual export growth above 20 per cent. Major importers of Vietnamese handicraft products are Japan, the United States, the EU, Russia and ASEAN nations. Canada, the Middle East and new EU member countries are also potential markets for Vietnamese handicraft items.
Although handicraft product export does not bring in huge export revenue, it played a major role in transforming the economic structure in rural areas of Vietnam, attracting social investment and creating jobs and stable incomes for local people.
Handicraft production is the main career in some 2,000 villages and the main source of income for some 1.4 million households and 1,000 companies. Local sources supplied up to 97 per cent of materials for this industry, which is a key advantage. Thus, Vietnam is focusing on making this a spearhead export-oriented industry from 2008 to 2010. It targets US$1.5 billion export revenue in 2010.
However, to achieve this goal, according to the Trade Promotion Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade), Vietnamese enterprises need to study consumption habits, spending, tastes, distribution systems and laws in specific importing markets. In addition, experts from Japan, which imports nearly 30 per cent of Vietnamese handicraft products, warned that Vietnamese handicraft traders and producers need more professional design and material use to penetrate more deeply into this choosy market.
T.K
Vietnamese
