Trade experts shared their ideas about how Viet Nam can increase exports now that the nation has become a WTO member.

The Ministry of Trade has co-operated with other related ministries to carry out five main targets after Viet Nam officially joined the World Trade Organisation.

Firstly, we will continuously renovate our trade promotion. The Trade Promotion Department (TPD) will co-operate with other departments to evaluate the effect of trade promotion on export activities last year and recommend new approaches and methods. To have more effective trade promotion, we have to link it with the demand of increasing exports through support for small- and medium-sized businesses.

In the near term, the TPD will focus on organising and promoting international fairs, as well as providing necessary information for businesses to be able to approach new markets.

Secondly, we will reorganise the activities of our trade representative offices in other countries. Those offices should be more active in trade promotion activities. Along with the Government and other agencies, they will negotiate with local authorities from that country to create a more favourable environment for our export activities; study policies and market development trends in the region and the world as well; and dispense policies and solutions for each specific market for businesses to have a better entry.

Thirdly, we will actively support businesses in getting over trade barriers and in international disputes to ensure stable export development. Trade agencies have responsibility to update information on customs procedures, management, tariff and non-tariff policies for our products in a specific country and businesses and departments that write policy.

In addition, those agencies will also help the MoT build a domestic trade barrier system to legally protect benefits of the State and businesses. The MoT will build an analysing and warning system on market price volatility for our export products to assist businesses in circumventing trade barriers and protecting themselves from possible anti-dumping lawsuits.

Fourthly, the MoT chairs and co-operates with other ministries, departments and management boards of industrial zones to find how to boost the export turnover and help businesses increase their exports.

Finally, we will conduct further trade promoting activities with other neighbouring countries and utilise advantages in existing regional trade agreements that Viet Nam is a part of.

This year, the MoT launched the Developing Trade Relations project between Viet Nam and China. Through the project, we focus on finding solutions to export problems surrounding products apart from crude oil, coal and rubber. The ministry is about to complete a project which will boost exports and investment on the Cambodian market.

Ha Noi Trade Corporation deputy general director Vu Thanh Son:

Brand name is very important for businesses, especially with export ones. We always consider brand name a key success factor when entering new markets.

We now have exported our products to 60 countries worldwide, including ASEAN, EU, African and American countries. Successfully marketing the brand name to those countries is our first priority before setting out targets on increasing export turnover. It is a long and hard process that we have had to simultaneously apply different methods to.

Firstly, we have to study consumer’s taste for Vietnamese products in each market to work out a strategy for developing brand names.

In addition to product requirements, we have to ensure the brand name’s prestige.

APL Viet Nam northern branch director Le Quang Ut:

The demand for logistics services — including the maritime sector — is expected to increase sharply because of WTO membership.

In the past 10 years, the number of domestic logistics businesses has increased from two to nearly 600. The logistics market has a good chance of thriving as it goes parallel with export activities and the foreign direct investment in production, which is forecast to grow.

However, logistics businesses and the APL, in particular, is facing many challenges that might affect the long-term development of the industry.

The first challenge is to more clearly define roles and responsibilities for different management levels.

There is also a lack of skilled, experienced labour forces in the logistics industry.

Businesses in the maritime logistics alone have to face sub-par conditions in facilities. There has been a shortage of deep-water ports for loads of ships with more than 30,000DWT, which makes stagnation a real fear, especially at ports in the south and HCM City.

The port problem became more serious with the postponement of development projects. If the situation doesn’t improve, domestic businesses’ export activities will suffer.

Source: Vietnam News