The LED light market is expected to grow by 25 per cent a year for the next three years to US$854 million, according to the Viet Nam Lighting Association.

Speaking at a seminar held by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and US-based UL Company in HCM City yesterday, Tran Dinh Bac, the association’s deputy chairman and general secretary, said the production of LED bulbs has seen significant growth in recent years.

They are widely used for interior and exterior lighting in buildings and in agriculture.

They are highly energy-efficient, meaning they also cause less carbon dioxide emissions than traditional light bulbs, he said.

Currently lighting accounts for some 35 per cent of power consumption, and so if the country can replace 50 per cent of its lights with LED bulbs, it can save 20.8 billion kWh (equal to two times the Hoa Binh hydropower plant’s capacity) by 2020 and reduce CO2 emissions by nine million tonnes, he said.

Rising population, urbanisation and infrastructure development and a construction boom in the commercial, office and tourism sectors are some of the factors spurring demand for LED lights in Viet Nam, he said.

There are more than 200 manufacturers and importers of LED bulbs in Viet Nam, he said.

But while there are quality products supplied by renowned local and foreign brands, many low-quality bulbs are also sold in the market due to a lack of standard regulations for the products and lax oversight by authorities, he said.

Viet Nam needs to learn from other countries and create standards for LED products that are in harmony with the standards in other ASEAN member countries as well as developed countries, he said.

The Government also needs to strengthen oversight to create a transparent and competitive environment for businesses, he added.

Michael H Lai from UL Taiwan and Shixiang Lim from UL Singapore International spoke about their company’s standards and testing and certification capabilities besides regulatory requirements in major markets.

Nguyen The Hung, deputy director of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s HCM City chapter, said consumers everywhere are increasingly focusing on the safety and environment-friendly aspects of product.

To be able to enter fastidious market like the US and EU, strict compliance with quality standards is essential, he added.

The seminar was held to discuss international safety standards in the lighting sector and how Vietnamese lighting companies can enter the global market. — VNS