US Garment, Textile Footwear Firms Eye Vietnam Sans TPP

US garment, textile and footwear firms are seeking investment opportunities in Vietnam after their country withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). According to American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) senior vice president Nate Herman, Vietnam’s strengths in quality, price and delivery commitments attracts US retailers to the country.

Herman said Vietnam surpassed rivals in export growth to the United States despite receiving no preferential trade pacts. Vietnam’s exports to the United States in these sectors are likely to increase in future, even without TPP, a Vietnamese news agency quoted Herman as saying.

He noted that the imports of Vietnam’s garment-textile and footwear to his country grew by 8.74 per cent and 11.83 per cent respectively over the past 12 months and Vietnam was the second biggest exporter to the US market, after China.

Vietnam exported over $30.16 billion worth of goods to the United States in the first eight months of 2017, making up 1.99 per cent of the total US import turnover. During the same period, the country paid over $2.2 billion in taxes, ranking second among 15 countries paying the highest import taxes to the United States.

AAFA and the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham Vietnam) held a series of activities in Ho Chi Minh City, including a workshop on product safety and compliance issues, in late October.

Earlier, the National Cotton Council of America (CCI) coordinated with the Vietnam Textile & Apparel Association to organise the Cotton Day 2017 and granted investment licenses to 12 businesses operating in Vietnam and using the US cotton.

However, some experts feel Vietnam’s exports to the United States may face difficulties in future due to tighter US regulations on product safety to reduce trade deficit.