More than 200 Vietnamese products are exported througout the world through foreign firms. -- Photo bizlive

HA NOI  (Biz Hub)— Foreign direct invested (FDI) enterprises have created a momentum for developing products made in Viet Nam, heard participants at a conference entitled "Proud of Vietnamese goods", held in Ha Noi yesterday.

Vo Van Quyen, director of the Domestic Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said more than 200 Vietnamese products were exported throughout the world through foreign firms.

The figure indicates the increasing contribution of the FDI sector in promoting the programme, "Vietnamese people give priority to using Vietnamese goods," Quyen added.

Vietnamese goods, produced by both local enterprises and FDI firms in Viet Nam, have attained a certain position in distribution units. For instance, after five years of carrying out the programme, the portion of Vietnamese goods at supermarkets accounted for 90 per cent, with considerable contributions from FDI companies.

The survey conducted last May revealed that 92 per cent of consumers are aware of the programme, 63 per cent of these people give priority to choosing Vietnamese goods, and 54 per cent of them recommend that their relatives and friends buy Vietnamese goods.

Yet, three problems could be seen, including bumper harvests and decreasing prices, a lack of an established value chain and pressure from the opening of local markets. He added that the issues could be partly resolved if FDI companies operating in Viet Nam actively participated in the programme.

In particular, he said he expected FDI companies to pay attention to connecting domestic firms, while developing support industries for Viet Nam.

Sharing such ideas, Dang Xuan Quang, deputy head of the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, reiterated that Vietnamese goods have not only been produced by wholly domestic companies, but also by FDI businesses in Viet Nam.

He noted that this view should be integrated from policies to special actions to prevent discrimination between the two kinds of goods.

Nguyen Mai, chairman of the Viet Nam Association of Foreign Invested Enterprises (VAFIE), added that some views should be changed to further promote the programme. Accordingly, Vietnamese goods should include products that have been produced by large international groups, such as Samsung, Intel, Nokia, Canon and LG in Viet Nam.

Han Myoung Sup, Samsung Viet Nam's general director agreed, saying they have not only wanted to be the largest FDI firms or largest exporters, but also the national business of Viet Nam.

"We expect to contribute to the country's socio-economic development, as well as improving the quality of life of the Vietnamese people by manufacturing good products", he said.

Samsung has carried out programmes to meet their commitment and has sought partners to develop Viet Nam's support industries for its products, while paying attention to training employees.

Market development

Today, the country has 700 supermarkets and 100 commercial centres, while just in Ha Noi there are 100 supermarkets and 20 commercial centres.

However, modern retail channels have accounted for 20 per cent of total retail activities in the country, and this rate is expected to increase by 30 to 40 per cent from 2020 to 30.

Further, Vu Vinh Phu, chairman of the Ha Noi Supermarket Association, said co-operation between production and distribution had not been enhanced, resulting in excess inventories, especially in agricultural products.

"The country should further promote connection chains to bring Vietnamese goods into supermarkets. This could help Vietnamese goods become more popular and be sustainably developed," Phu said.

Nguyen Thai Dung, deputy general director of Big C Thang Long, said his company had always given priority to Vietnamese goods, as 95 per cent of its products are manufactured in Viet Nam.

Meanwhile, a representative from Hapro said their retail system distributed some 20,000 products, of which 80 per cent were locally produced. — VNS