(VNS) A Vietnam News Agency reporter chatted with Do Thang Hai, director of the Trade Promotion Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade, about developing the Vietnamese national brand.

Do Thang Hai

How has the national brand development programme been going?

We have coordinated with the ministry's Market Department and local and foreign trade promotion companies to develop trading activities through trade fairs and shows.

This year, in addition to trade promotion programmes for export, we are also focusing on boosting local consumption power and developing the border and island markets.

Furthermore, we have created favorable conditions for enterprises to take advantage of all these programmes.

Most export enterprises operate in traditional markets. What should they do to expand into new ones?

Traditional markets still play a key role in export turnover in Viet Nam, while new markets are also important. We have opened various trade promotion programmes to pay attention on emerging markets.

We also set aside funding for enterprises to develop their activities in new markets. We expect that local enterprises will make efforts to invest in such markets.

How important is developing a brand at the moment?

Branding is obviously a weakness of Vietnamese enterprises in general and the management agency in particular. A national branding programme will help enterprises, especially big ones, become more competitive in both local and international markets.

It will also help enterprises promote their brands in different markets. During this difficult time, Vietnamese enterprises should pay more attention to developing their brands in the local market.

There are 500,000 enterprises in Viet Nam. Fifty-four per cent of them have national brands.

What does your department do to help enterprises develop their brands abroad?

A programme looking ahead to 2020 has been approved and includes many trade promotion activities, including training in brand building.

Importantly, we help enterprises protect intellectual property rights and defend their brands in the global arena.

Besides helping enterprises to build strong export brands, the national programme also helps them build a good brand in the domestic market and in border and mountainous regions and islands. — VNS