7 Frequently Asked Questions about Importing Garment from Vietnam

If your goal is to import clothes from Vietnam, we’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions to walk you through all the doubts.

Frequently asked questions while buying clothes from Vietnam

1. What kind of clothes can you import from Vietnam?

Vietnam is home to garment manufacturers virtually in any niche, with a complete ecosystem ranging from head to toe, and from premium quality private label clothes to simple daily wear. Some of the textile categories are as below.

* Jackets and coats
* Sweaters
* Pants and shorts
* Suits
* Underwear
* Dresses and skirts
* Tops
* Shirts

However, one thing to take into account is most raw materials for garment manufacturing in Vietnam are imported from countries like China and South Korea, thus, it can lead to longer lead time.

2. Where can you find garment suppliers in Vietnam?

Online Directories

Online directories like Alibaba and Global Sources, though, they’re built mostly for Chinese suppliers, you can easily find a significant number of verified Vietnamese textile factories. What you have to do is simply limit your search by country, and the results would come out.

Trade Fairs

If you prefer face to face contact with your potential suppliers and have a touch of the real textiles, trade fairs are a second to none option. Here’re two leading textile trade fairs held in the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh.

* SaigonTex
* Vietnam Int’l Textile Garment Industry Exhibition

Vietnam Sourcing Agents

Local sourcing agents in Vietnam with expertise in garment industry and strong network can act as your eyes, sourcing products, carrying out quality inspection and arrange shipping. Make sure your Vietnam sourcing office has the qualities you look for in a business partner.

Clothes Wholesale Markets in Vietnam

Suppliers in clothes wholesale markets tend to offer a much lower MOQ if you’re buying stocks or making minor changes based on existing models. However, there might be some problems with sizes and labels. Chances are rare that the stocks available in the clothes wholesale markets in Vietnam meet with the labeling requirements in countries like US, Australia, EU, etc. Make sure all the clothes are properly relabeled before shipping.

3. Is it cheaper to import clothes from Vietnam than China?

The price difference between clothes made in Vietnam and those made in China is not big. Though the minimum monthly wages for factory workers in Vietnam is only half of what it costs in China, with other factors like costs of electricity, water, importing raw materials from China, the gap is not big. Vietnam is usually considered as a “China plus one” strategy for importers to spread out the risks especially with the abating Sino-US trade wars.

4. What’s the standard lead time?

The lead time for mass production is in general 30-60 days. It might be longer if your clothes factory in Vietnam has to import certain fabrics or components from China. Check our guide on fabric wholesale markets in Vietnam.

5. What’s the standard MOQ?

The minimum order quantity varies depending on factories, but from our experience dealing with garment factories in Vietnam, most big suppliers ask for an MOQ of 1,000 pieces per design, some small factories might accept orders of several hundred pieces per design. There isn’t any standard MOQ as you can negotiate with your supplier, but don’t try to push it too low especially when your design requires lots of customizations.

6. How to communicate with suppliers in Vietnam?

Though English is not the official language in Vietnam, the number of English speakers is surprisingly high when compared with China. Most clothes factories in Vietnam have English speaking sales representatives and export manager, so communicating shouldn’t be a big problem. In addition, facebook, Google, Whatsapp and other apps are not blocked in Vietnam than its northern neighbor, making it easier to communicate with your suppliers.

7. What are the main garment production centers in Vietnam?

Garment manufacturing facilities are scattering in the northern and southern part of the country. Here’re a few manufacturing centers for garment and textiles in Vietnam.

North

Hanoi: Fabric weaving, garments & textiles, embroidery & lace
Ninh Binh: Fabric weaving, embroidery & lace
Thai Binh: Fabric weaving, garments & textiles, embroidery & lace
Thanh Hoa: Garments & textiles
Nam Dinh: Fabric weaving, garments & textiles
Ha Nam: Embroidery & lace
Phu Tho: Garments & textiles

South

Ho Chi Minh: Garments & textiles
Dong Nai: Garments & textiles
Binh Duong: Garments & textiles
Tay Ninh: Garments & textiles