Vietnamese enterprises need to accelerate measures developing their trademarks with a view to increasing their competitiveness in the process of regional and international integration, the Dai Bieu Nhan Dan (People’s Representative) newspaper said.

The newspaper said currently in Vietnam, 98 percent of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are lacking in strategies to develop their brands. For those which do pay attention to this issue, weak financial capacity prevent them from building long-term and effective plans for the purpose.

A protected trademark allows enterprises to develop, forge closer business links and roll out their brands in international markets, particularly when the country opens up the market in line with free trade agreements it has signed.

Intellectual property (IP) is especially important to the pharmaceutical industry as most FTAs pay attention to protecting patents and test data.

IP specialists have proposed that domestic firms quickly register for trademark protection.

Any firm with a brand certificated by the National Office for the Intellectual Property of Vietnam is also suggested to utilize the Madrid Protocol, a convenient and economical means of securing trademark registration which was adopted in 1989.

The Vietnamese Government is advised to help domestic firms access market information and increase their capacity for building trademarks through training courses.

Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Trade Promotion Agency, Do Kim Lang, who is also Deputy General Secretary of the National Branding Programme, pledged support for enterprises via training and counseling, to help improve their competitiveness.-VNA