The product was the first in any ASEAN country to obtain PDO protection in 28 EU-member countries, and the first Vietnamese geographical indication to be recognised and protected in the EU.— Photo vov

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Delegates from Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar discussed intellectual property and trademark issues at a workshop in Ha Noi yesterday.

Deputy Director of the National Office of Intellectual Property of Viet Nam (NOIP) Tran Huu Nam stressed the importance of IP and trademark building to the development of enterprises all over the world. Viet Nam and other developing countries needed to utilise those tools efficiently so they could gain competitive advantages in the global market, he added.

David Faulks, managing director of Australian strategic brand consultancy Generation Alliance, recommended that Viet Nam determine its key products in connection with special features of local geography, communities and stories to attract target customers before building comprehensive brand strategies.

Few domestic companies applied for patents, as many were aware of the importance of brands, trademarks and inventions but failed to see the potential of franchising and other similar commercial activities, said Viet Nam University of Commerce lecturer Nguyen Quoc Thinh.

He added that 39 percent of Vietnamese enterprises did not even know where and how to register for IP rights. — VNS