The U.S. remained Vietnam&rsquos largest apparel export market in the first half, with an export turnover of US$2.4 billion, accounting for 57 per cent of the Asian country&rsquos total export value of the product, the Vietnam Textile and Garment Association (Vitas) said.
The European Union (E.U.) came in second with US$780 million, while Japan ranked third with US$360 million.
Vitas said despite growing material prices, Vietnam raked in close to US$4.2 billion from textile and garment exports in the period, an on-year rise of 20 per cent.
The US Department of Commerce&rsquos failure to find proof of anti-dumping conduct of Vietnam&rsquos textile and garment industry was a good sign for the sector&rsquos export activities in the time to come, the association added.
This year, Vietnam hopes to earn US$9.5 billion from shipping apparel products abroad, up 23 per cent against last year.
To reach the yearly target, local businesses should make greater efforts to make an export turnover of US$5.3 billion in the second half when they still face difficulties, including increasing material prices, high loan interest rates, human resource shortages, and high inflation, Vitas Chairman Le Quoc An said.
An said that in addition to the challenges, the industry has many advantages. He said it has received a lot of orders and there is no concern about anti-dumping lawsuits.
The official recommed businesses increase exports of high value-added and new products in order to reduce the impacts of monitoring operations imposed by importing nations.
Enterprises should be more active in expanding into new markets, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, and fix their shortcomings in management and productivity, An said. (VNA Jul 11)
Vietnamese
