Vietnamese wood furniture firms are focused mostly on export markets,leaving the local market to imports, especially from China.
Huynh Van Hanh, deputy chairman of the Handicraft and Wood IndustryAssociation of HCM City (HAWA), said with its population of 86 millionand increasing incomes, Vietnam is a promising market for furniture andother wooden products.
Demand for wooden indoor furniture has grown at an annual rate of 15-20 per cent in recent years, he said.
But Vietnamese firms, among the world's largest exporters of woodproducts, continue to ignore the local market, which, at 3 billion USD,is equal to the export market, Hanh said.
Theyaccound for just 20 percent of the Vietnamese market, with imports frommainland China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Thailand accounting forthe rest.
Dien Quang Hiep, director of BinhDuong-based Minh Phat Furniture Company, said companies prefer exportsto domestic sales because orders are usually big. The domestic marketnot only places small orders but also requires various designs.
And then there is the cost of setting up distribution systems, he pointed out.
Furniture shops on Ngo Gia Tu and To Hien Thanh streets in District10, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai in district 3, and other places in HCM City,display a lot of imported furniture products.
TranHoang Trung, owner of a shop on Ngo Gia Tu street, said most of hisproducts are from China and they come in a range of designs andmaterials.
As for local products, he sold the odd table made of natural wood, he said.
Many foreign companies, mostly Chinese, import large quantities oftimber from Vietnam at cheap prices and export finished products at highprices to Vietnam.
Many distributors import 30-40 containers of furniture every month from China, according to insiders.
Nguyen Ton Quyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Timber and ForestProduct Association, said the low import tariffs on wooden products, of0-3 percent, encourage furniture distributors to import them, creatingpressure on domestic producers./.
Huynh Van Hanh, deputy chairman of the Handicraft and Wood IndustryAssociation of HCM City (HAWA), said with its population of 86 millionand increasing incomes, Vietnam is a promising market for furniture andother wooden products.
Demand for wooden indoor furniture has grown at an annual rate of 15-20 per cent in recent years, he said.
But Vietnamese firms, among the world's largest exporters of woodproducts, continue to ignore the local market, which, at 3 billion USD,is equal to the export market, Hanh said.
Theyaccound for just 20 percent of the Vietnamese market, with imports frommainland China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Thailand accounting forthe rest.
Dien Quang Hiep, director of BinhDuong-based Minh Phat Furniture Company, said companies prefer exportsto domestic sales because orders are usually big. The domestic marketnot only places small orders but also requires various designs.
And then there is the cost of setting up distribution systems, he pointed out.
Furniture shops on Ngo Gia Tu and To Hien Thanh streets in District10, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai in district 3, and other places in HCM City,display a lot of imported furniture products.
TranHoang Trung, owner of a shop on Ngo Gia Tu street, said most of hisproducts are from China and they come in a range of designs andmaterials.
As for local products, he sold the odd table made of natural wood, he said.
Many foreign companies, mostly Chinese, import large quantities oftimber from Vietnam at cheap prices and export finished products at highprices to Vietnam.
Many distributors import 30-40 containers of furniture every month from China, according to insiders.
Nguyen Ton Quyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Timber and ForestProduct Association, said the low import tariffs on wooden products, of0-3 percent, encourage furniture distributors to import them, creatingpressure on domestic producers./.
