Experts point out that Vietnam’s textile industry has low development of raw materials and is highly dependent on imports, resulting in a weakening of the industry’s competitiveness and creativity.
Nguyen Van Tuan, president of Vietnam Cotton and Spinning Association (VCOSA), said that although Vietnam has strong growth in spinning and garments, other categories such as dyeing and finishing Such industries are under-developed and have strict regulations, resulting in production bottlenecks. Therefore, Vietnamese garment enterprises are extremely dependent on fabric imports. For example, in 2017, fabric imports were 6.5 billion meters, accounting for 2/3 of the fabrics required by the entire industry.
According to Vietnamese customs data, Vietnam imported US$1.35 billion in fabrics in May 2019, and it is expected to reach US$5.43 billion for the whole year, an increase of 5.8% compared with 2018. Experts point out that imports remain high due to the weak development of the dyeing and finishing industry. Local industry players lack knowledge of the dyeing and finishing process, as well as technology, human resources, and labor skills, so they need to strengthen talent training.
