Nguyen ThiTong, Deputy Chairwoman and General Secretary of the Vietnam Leather andFootwear Association (Lefaso), made the statement at a seminar jointlyheld by the association and the Vietnam Leather and Shoe ResearchInstitute in the capital on March 21.
The event wasaimed at launching a campaign to encourage Vietnamese creative designersto take part in the 4th International Footwear Design Competition 2012in the Asia region. The competition will take place in Guang Zhou ,China , from May 30 to June 1 and will be organised by the AsiaFootwear Association and regional industrial associations.
"The industry has been promoting enterprises and designers, especiallythe youth, to create unique designs in an effort for shoe makers toimplement direct orders rather than sub-contracts," Tong noted.
Most local producers utilise sub-contracts or outsource deals tointernational partners in Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea amongothers, with great dependence on imported raw materials and accessories,designs as well as equipment.
Tran Tuyet Mai, arepresentative of the Vietnam Leather and Shoe Research Institute, saidthat active participation of Vietnamese designers will make a greatcontribution to the country's shoe industry as it still lacks qualifiedand professional players.-VNA