Seeing the importance of specialty products and handicrafts to local socioeconomic development and unique cultural identity, the Department of Industry and Trade and other bodies have advised the provincial government and carried out many support policies and activities for organizations and individuals to develop their brands and expand markets and achieved encouraging results.
Branding support
To boost business performances, create collective brand names and prove local strengths, the department consulted the Provincial People’s Committee to build collective brands and was granted the certificate of “Hue handicraft identity seal” brand by the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam (NOIP). Since 2017, the department has received applications and granted certificates to 25 units and individuals registering for using “identity seal” for more than 500 sample products belonging to more than 50 products/product collections. As a result, many products have gradually expanded their reputation on the market and increased sales by 20-50%. Typical examples include HP Design clocks and wooden souvenirs, Hue Anh Vu kites and Lang Sinh folk painting. Not only securing a strong foothold in the domestic market, many products have been exported to Laos, Thailand, the UK, France, South Korea, the Czech Republic and other countries. Currently, the department is also authorized by the Provincial People's Committee to formulate and submit an application to the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam to register HUE SPECIALITY GOODS brand, expected to be used for Hue products.
The department also assists local enterprises in designing packages, brands and packaging processes. Every year, it carries out souvenir and gift development plans. It has formulated a collection of 14 special souvenirs and 42 handicrafts. At the same time, the department built data images and information on specialty goods, handicrafts and typical cottage industries of the province to introduce and advertise inside and outside the province.
In addition, the Department of Science and Technology cooperated with other agencies and localities to brand many local specialties like guiding and supporting manufacturers to register their own trademarks and collective brands for Hue specialty products; compiling guidebooks on intellectual property development, management and protection and FAQ handbooks on building local specialty brands; organizing more than 20 training courses on establishment, management and utilization of intellectual property rights; supporting the construction of regulations on management and use of of geographic names and registration for protection of collective brands like Bun Bo Hue rice noodle with beef, Thanh Tien confetti, Phuoc Tich pottery and Dien Mon spring roll.
Relevant departments also instructed production facilities to apply advanced quality management standards such as ISO and VietGap; supported innovation and technological and equipment upgrading; established standards on conformity and barcode registration; protected Hue product identity brands; launched the VietGAP-standard Thanh Tra Hue pomelo value chain development project to improve livelihoods for people and boost biodiversity conservation; supported branches and localities to propose and carry out intellectual property development projects: Hue aodai collective brand, Hue geographical indication for plum mango.
Market expansion
In the past time, the Department of Industry and Trade coordinated with concerned bodies and localities to launch many support programs and plans for market development for local enterprises. Through the Annual National Trade Promotion Program, the department led business delegations to domestic and foreign fairs and exhibitions; and showcased and introduced specialty products to people and tourists. Through programs launched by the Vietnam Record Organization, culinary values and famous specialties of Hue have been promoted to domestic and international friends. Thua Thien Hue has 11 specialties ranked by the Vietnam Record Organization in the Top 14 famous specialties in Vietnam, of which Hue rice noodle with beef is one of 12 Vietnamese dishes qualified for “Asian Cuisine Value” recognized by Asian Record Organization.
To carry out Program 57/CTr-UBND dated April 22, 2016 on market development for Hue specialties in 2016 - 2020, the Department of Industry and Trade coordinated with localities to review and build a list of Hue specialty and handicraft information. Over 500 products made by 123 production facilities were informed to other departments of industry and trade, trade promotion centers and distributors nationwide. Through industrial promotion programs, the department supported manufacturers to invest in advanced technology and equipment and improve designs, with focus on supporting investment in advanced equipment such as CNC sculpting machines, laser engraving machines and 3D printers.
The department organized business delegations to large-scale domestic and overseas fairs and exhibitions. Only in 2016-2020, it attended more than 30 domestic fairs and six overseas fairs and supported more than 150 companies to showcase their products at the Thua Thien Hue pavilion.
The Department of Industry and Trade also worked with agencies and units to organize annual promotion programs like mobilizing traders to organize promotional programs to stimulate consumption; encouraging consumers to give priority to Vietnamese products on their shopping list; bringing products to rural and mountainous areas. The department also supported companies to advertise and introduce their products on the website on Hue specialty goods (http://sanphamhue.vn), with 27 companies registered; and launched e-commerce exchange for Thua Thien Hue products (www.santmdthue.vn), with 21 companies registered.
Since 2016, the department organized six conferences on agricultural products, specialties and handicrafts; led business delegations with over 150 participants to 20 conferences hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Hanoi, Da Nang, Quang Binh and Ho Chi Minh City.
More active
In addition to its results, the support for branding development and market expansion for specialty products and handicrafts is still limited. It is still difficult to develop brands and expand the market, apply advanced production processes and standards (Viet GAP and Global GAP) to agricultural products and specialties. Companies do not pay appropriate care for product advertisement. In the coming time, the department will deploy many consistent solutions like activities to stimulate consumer demand, encouraging Vietnamese people to give priority to Vietnamese goods; supporting local producers to build and develop product brands through trade promotion and industrial promotion programs in 2021-2025 and annually; supporting investment in technological renovation and equipment upgrade, quality improvement, and product branding. Along with supporting businesses to polish their brands and expand markets through e-commerce, the department will help them boost exports under the National Program on Trade Promotion; collect, analyze and forecast domestic and international commodity market for enterprises. Besides, it will raise perception of market development for business leaders; improve corporate and entrepreneurial culture, and corporate governance.
Last but not least, the Department of Industry and Trade will focus on improving staff capacity for better service for enterprises; building up a highly-qualified staff to provide effective consultation and support for enterprises.
Source: Vietnam Business Forum