Vietnamplus

Although the demand for Vietnamese textiles is forecast to rise steadily in the short term, firms are concerned that tight material supply will impede their export plans.

Vietnam's wood processing and furniture industry has made big strides over the past decade, heard a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on March 25.

The Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) ticked up to 52.2 in November from 52.1 in October, signalling a second successive modest improvement in business conditions following a period of decline caused by the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier in the year, according to IHS Markit.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global supply chains and exposed many large foreign investors in Vietnam to material shortages, and in response a number of domestic firms in support industries have taken the opportunity to become important “links” within those chains.

The prices of tra fish (pangasius) in the Mekong Delta is hitting a record high, exceeding 30,000 VND per kilogramme, bringing high profits to local farmers, but businesses are facing shortages of material fish.