manufacture

Vietnam is coming out on top in the US-China trade war

Vietnam’s PM is taking advantage of trade tensions to boost the nation’s profile as a manufacturing and export powerhouse.

In the race to lure companies looking for alternative sites amid the US-China trade war, Vietnam wields a slew of advantages over its rivals.

Vietnam was ranked No. 1 among seven emerging Asian countries as manufacturing destinations by Natixis SA, which looked at demographics, wages and electricity costs, rankings in doing business and logistics, and manufacturing as a share of total foreign direct investment.

“Vietnam is poised to capture some of China’s global market share in labor-intensive manufacturing,” said  Trinh Nguyen, a senior economist at Natixis in Hong Kong. “It’s the clear winner from the trade war.”

Here’s a look at what makes Vietnam attractive to foreign investors:

Cheap

Production workers in Vietnam are paid an average of $216 a month, less than half what their peers get in China. Thanks to government subsidies, electricity is also cheaper at 7 US cents per kilowatt hour compared with 10 cents for Indonesia and 19 cents for the Philippines, according to GlobalPetrolPrices.com’s June data.

Vietnam also has one of the largest labor forces in Southeast Asia, at 57.5 million. That compared with 15.4 million for Malaysia and 44.6 million for the Philippines, according to the World Bank.

Deals, investment

Vietnam’s communist leaders have pursued free trade deals with South Korea and Europe and joined 10 other nations in March in signing a Trans-Pacific trade pact.

Officials completed a trade deal with the EU in June that will eliminate almost all tariffs. In Southeast Asia, only Singapore has a similar agreement with the EU.

The government is also making it easier for foreign investors to do business with a proposed securities law that would allow 100% foreign ownership of public companies, except those in restricted sectors like banking and telecommunication.

Foreign direct investment is surging, with the government expecting disbursed FDI to rise to a record $18 billion this year.

Geography

Vietnam’s proximity to China also adds to its appeal. The two share a land border, compared with countries like Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia which are all much farther away.

Chinese companies that need raw materials or product components from the US will find it easier to source these goods via Vietnam. Vietnam is China’s largest trading partner in Southeast Asia as the two nations become more central in each other’s production chains.

Stability

Vietnam boasts one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, forecast to expand at about 7% this year. The dong has been relatively stable in 2018, compared with other currencies in Asia like the rupee and rupiah which suffered large declines.

“Strong economic growth and political stability are very important to investors,” said Tony Foster, the Hanoi-based managing partner in Vietnam for law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

The dong will remain fairly stable in the near-term, Fitch Solutions Macro Research, a unit of Fitch Group, said in October, citing support from strong FDI inflows and manufacturing.

IMC FAR EAST CAN BE YOUR TRUSTED PARTNER IN VIETNAM

Choosing a Southeast Asian country like Vietnam in sourcing low cost manufacturing entails extensive market research and due diligence. It is imperative for a company to find a reliable local partner with a long history of operating in Vietnam so that they can help you directly in considering low cost manufacturing in Vietnam.

IMC Far East is a product design, development and sourcing group dedicated to assisting businesses with International Trade. We help our clients and their companies grow, compete and increase margins in today’s competitive Global Market. With over 20 years of experience, we have established an extensive portfolio of reliable and vetted factories in Vietnam. We’ll make manufacturing in Vietnam a simple, profitable, hassle-free experience for you. Visit: www.imcfareast.com