Over the past two decades, generous tax incentives and an abundance of low-cost labour have made Vietnam a very attractive option for firms looking to diversify their manufacturing supply chains.
Specifically, Vietnam’s exports have grown surprisingly fast, with just US$19.9 billion worth of exports in 2002 compared to a whopping US$384.22 billion in 2022. Furthermore, the share of said exports credited to the manufacturing sector grew from 49 percent to 86 percent over the same period.
These made-in-Vietnam goods have been shipped to every corner of the planet for some of the most well-known brands in the world. That said, this fact is not always that well-known, and with this in mind, this article provides a short overview of some of those made-in-Vietnam brands alongside a handful of said made-in-Vietnam goods.
Rules of origin
First though, on a technical note, there are specific rules of origin for designating a product as made in Vietnam. This can be extremely important for export firms looking to access reduced tariffs through Vietnam’s many free trade agreements.
Generally speaking, a product can be certified as made in Vietnam if it is agricultural in nature—as in, grown or raised wholly in Vietnam. It can also be certified as made in Vietnam if a certain proportion of its parts, or the value added to the product, in Vietnam meets a certain percentage-based threshold. Details are outlined in Decree 31/2018/ND-CP.
This article, however, looks more broadly at the goods and brands made in Vietnam, rather than the technical aspects of having goods certified as made in Vietnam.
Goods made in Vietnam
This section provides a quick overview of the key types of goods that are made in Vietnam.
Shoes
Footwear manufacturing is big business in Vietnam. In 2023, this rapidly developing Southeast Asian nation exported shoes to the tune of US$19.94 billion, or about ten percent of the world’s shoe supply. This includes shoes of all different types, from flip-flops to trainers and everything in between. Almost all of the big shoe brands have at least some of their footwear made in Vietnam–Nike, Crocs, Adidas, Vans, and Timberland to name just a few.
See also: Vietnam Footwear Manufacturers: Quick Guide 2024
Garments and apparel
Clothing suppliers in Vietnam are a dime a dozen. This sub-sector of Vietnam’s manufacturing sector is responsible for upwards of US$35 billion worth of Vietnam’s exports each year. Though garment manufacturers are spread out all around Vietnam the bulk of the industry is contracted in Vietnam’s southern provinces. Ho Chi Minh City and its neighbouring provinces of Binh Duong and Dong Nai are all key garment manufacturing hubs in Vietnam.
See also: Vietnam Garment Manufacturing 2024: Quick Guide
Electronics
Electronics manufacturing has become huge in Vietnam in recent years. The arrival of Samsung back in 2008 heralded a significant shift in the manufacturing sector with the South Korean mobile phone behemoth transforming Vietnam’s northern provinces into an epicentre of electronics manufacturing. Of note several other big brands have also followed suit–Foxconn, a key contractor for Apple, for example, announced in 2023 that it would spend US$250 million on a new factory in northern Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province.
Electronics now being made in Vietnam include mobile phones, televisions, computers, and tablets, among a range of other gadgets and appliances.
Foods
Vietnam also manufactures a number of food products both for local consumption and for export. As one of the world’s biggest coffee-growing nations, it is only fitting that the country is responsible for providing the world with coffee products including both filter and instant coffee. It also processes a huge volume of seafood as well as dried goods including fruits and instant noodles.
Furniture
Vietnam’s furniture output has been on a steady incline since the country began to really open up at the turn of the century. Wood furniture in particular has become a popular export item. In 2023, Vietnam exported US$13.08 billion worth of wood and products made of wood to roughly 40 countries around the world. It also exported a further US$123 million worth of non-wood furniture to 16 countries.
Brands made in Vietnam
This section provides a brief glimpse at just a handful of the well-known international brands made in Vietnam.
Nike, Converse
Nike has been progressively expanding its presence in Vietnam for years. In November of 2023, the global sportswear brand reported that it had 35 factories in Vietnam, employing 326,461 workers, making shoes for the firm. It also had 70 factories and 128,000 workers making its apparel products, and 15 factories with nearly 19,000 workers making sports equipment. These factories produce both Nike and Converse branded goods.
Puma
Puma uses contract manufacturers all over Vietnam. In 2023, the bulk of its manufacturers were concentrated in and around Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam was also Puma’s second biggest source of manufactured goods in 2022 trailing only China. Vietnam’s northern neighbour that year accounted for 32 percent of Puma products with Vietnam responsible for 30 percent.
Crocs
Not particularly attractive shoes but practical in tropical climates like Vietnam, Crocs are popular with Vietnamese consumers. However, Vietnam is also the biggest producer of Crocs footwear, accounting for 53 percent of the firm’s output in 2022. Of note, Crocs only uses third-party manufacturers.
Adidas
At the start of 2023, Adidas had 52 primary suppliers in Vietnam. These suppliers accounted for a huge volume of Adidas goods. In fact, in 2022 30 percent of Adidas footwear was made in Vietnam, the most of any country in Adidas’ supply chain. It was followed closely by Indonesia, one of Vietnam’s key sparring partners in terms of attracting garment manufacturing business.
Samsung
Vietnam has become pivotal to Samsung’s supply chains and similarly, Samsung has been pivotal in Vietnam’s economic development. Samsung arrived in Vietnam in 2008 and has since built a series of factories in the country’s north, with its biggest factory in Thai Nguyen about 80 kilometers north of Hanoi.
Samsung was responsible for US$65 billion worth of Vietnam’s exports in 2022 or about 20 percent of all of Vietnam’s exports. As of November 2023, however, the company was expecting this number to drop down to about US$57 billion for the year. Actual data has not yet been made public.
LG
South Korea’s LG has had a manufacturing presence in Vietnam since 1995 and has reportedly made investments in the country to the tune of US$5.3 billion. The major electronics producer has three factories all based in northern Vietnam’s Hai Phong province. These manufacturing plants focus on digital displays and camera parts among a range of other electronics components and appliances.
Apple
Apple products, through the company’s subsidiaries, most notably Foxconn, are also made in Vietnam. Apple has for some time been diversifying its supply chain by extending its manufacturing operations in Vietnam. In July of 2023, it was announced that Foxconn would be spending US$250 million on two projects in Vietnam. One would be for the manufacture of electronics with the second to produce components for electric vehicles.
IKEA
A range of IKEA items are sourced from Vietnam with Vietnam ratcheting up more than 20 years in IKEA’s supply chain. A decent volume of wood used in IKEA products in particular comes from Vietnam–specifically about 3 percent of IKEA’s wood supply, the second highest percentage in Asia after China which provides about 9 percent.
Patagonia
Outdoor clothing brand Patagonia utilises factories all over Vietnam. As of May 2023, the company had 23 suppliers in the country with nearly 57,000 workers, according to their latest supplier list. Notably, Patagonia products are abundant in small shops and stalls in Vietnam’s major cities, however, it is not clear that these products are genuine.
Why Vietnam?
There are a broad range of reasons why manufacturers choose to make their products in Vietnam. These are just a few of the benefits firms tend to realise by choosing this burgeoning Southeast Asian nation.
Tax incentives
Vietnam has traditionally had very attractive tax breaks for foreign firms manufacturing in Vietnam. This has, in some cases, included not having to pay taxes for up to four years, or receiving special corporate income tax rates a fraction of what local firms have to pay. That said, the OECD’s new Global Minimum Tax regulations are likely to impact these tax breaks for many firms and whereas Vietnam has passed a top-up tax to collect the additional tax revenue, it is still in the process of developing alternative incentives that do not breach OECD guidelines.
Low cost-labour
Vietnam is well-known in manufacturing circles for its low-cost labour. With a population of around 100 million that is relatively young, making manufactured goods in Vietnam has helped reduce the bottom line of many global manufacturing firms and brands.
The minimum wage in Vietnam’s two biggest cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, is very low when compared with their regional counterparts–just US$192.99 per month whereas in Jakarta, for example, it is US$316.92. That said, the manufacturing sector often attracts higher wages than other key industries in Vietnam. For more information see: Average Salary in Vietnam 2024: Quick Guide.
Location
Vietnam is strategically located south of China and Pacific Ocean-adjacent and thus connected via sea to the world’s biggest economy, the United States of America. This makes integrating Vietnam into existing supply chains much easier with firms manufacturing in China able to truck materials and equipment south of the border with relative ease. It also fits well into Southeast Asian supply chains as a final destination for assembly and testing before goods are shipped off to other parts of the world. This is made all the more easier by a myriad of free trade agreements between ASEAN member states.
What’s next?
Products made in Vietnam are increasingly easy to find in department stores and shopping centres all around the world. This is on the back of Vietnam’s rise as a key manufacturing powerhouse, promulgated through its convenient location, attractive tax breaks, and low-cost labour.
This article, however, provides only a broad overview making the point that firms considering manufacturing in Vietnam will find themselves in good stead in terms of international brands. Firms looking for more detailed information should see: Manufacturing in Vietnam 2024: Ultimate Guide.
Finally, to keep up to date with the latest developments in the manufacturing sector, the best advice one can get is to subscribe to the-shiv.