Launched 3 years ago, the "Buy Vietnamese Goods" campaign in the northern province of Lao Cai has resulted in an increased sales volume of Vietnamese goods, said the Vietnam Economic News on April 11.

According to Lao Cai’s provincial Steering Committee on the Buy Vietnamese Goods campaign, the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, and the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre have coordinated with the local media agencies to advertise the campaign. In addition, Lao Cai province also instructed and assisted 35 enterprises to label their products.

The local businesses have actively responded to the campaign in various forms such as adopting scientific and technological applications to improve product quality, saving costs and reducing prices in a bid to increase competitiveness.

Distributors and supermarkets in Lao Cai have also enhanced sale promotion activities and commercial programmes to attract consumers' attention to their locally made products. In addition, collaboration between Lao Cai and other provinces like Hanoi, Bac Giang, Hung Yen to boost agricultural sales were successfully implemented.

The programme attracted 35 enterprises with 60 booths such as shoes, clothing, ceramics, handicrafts and food. The total number of customers visiting these booths climbed up to over 20,000, lifting sales revenues to over 1.5 billion VND.

To stabilise the market and protect consumer interests, Lao Cai’s Department of Industry and Trade coordinated with market management forces to tighten market control over contraband or fake goods.
After more than three years of the campaign, Lao Cai’s market management forces have tackled 436 violations with total value of more than 500 million VND.

The campaign has changed consumer awareness and behaviour towards Vietnamese goods while improving the awareness of the domestic business community about the importance of the local market.
Many local producers have continually improved quality and designs, reduced prices and developed brands to raise competitiveness in the market like Lao Cai Pharmaceutical Company and Apatit Vietnam Company.

The campaign also contributed to boosting production and easing the country’s economic slowdown in general. Until now, according to statistics of the Lao Cai’s provincial Buy Vietnamese Goods Steering Committee, locally made textile and garment, clothes, footwear, automobiles, motorcycles and electronic equipment have accounted for 60 percent of all commodities of those kinds in the province while toys and learning tools for kids have accounted for 70 percent, office stationary accounted for over 72 percent and drugs and medical service accounted for over 63 percent.

Apart from positive results, the campaign is still facing a lot of challenges as Lao Cai is a border province and Vietnamese goods here have to compete fiercely with smuggled, fake or imported products from China.

Therefore, according to Lao Cai’s Department of Industry and Trade, the province will continue introduing the campaign to all villages and districts in the area, raising local people's awareness on the quality of Vietnamese goods and services.-VNA