Vietnam needs greater efforts to maintain exports to France

Export of Lychee to France surged in 2016. (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Trade promotion activities should be increased to help Vietnamese goods earn a firm foothold in the French market, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).

France is an important partner of Vietnam in the EU with a huge purchasing power. Vietnam mainly ships telephones and spare parts, footwear, garment, computers and handbags to the European market.

Vietnam’s export to France has been on a steady increase from the beginning of this year. However, with Britain’s exit from the EU, France is likely to face difficulties and thus reduce imports, including those from Vietnam.

To maintain export growth in France, domestic businesses must improve their product quality in order to meet this market’s strict regulations.

The European Union – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is expected to open more rooms for Vietnamese exports to this market, said MoIT Minister Tran Tuan Anh.

According to statistics from the MoIT, as of June 2016, the export value to France reached 1.1 billion USD, up 4.37 percent from the same period last year, with phones and spare parts, footwear and garments being key products.

Vietnam’s lychee exports to France strongly increased from eight tonnes in 2015 to around 70 tonnes in 2016.

France is also a market for Vietnam’s wooden products and seafood.-VNA