A conference being held by the Liberated Saigon newspaper on building brands for Vietnamese goods in HCM City on June 27. Photo sggp.org.vn

HCM CITY – Since brands drive the development of businesses, it is important to help Vietnamese businesses build brands and strengthen them through green production and other means, a conference heard in HCM City on June 27.

Phạm Văn Trường, deputy editor-in-chief of Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (Liberated Saigon) newspaper, which organised the conference, said building Vietnamese brands is not just about product quality and packaging, but also affirming Vietnamese businesses’ uniqueness and position in the global market, he said.

This would also elevate the country’s brand, he said.

Việt Nam is among the top 10 exporters in the world, but its goods (especially agricultural produce), are having to “borrow other brands” to export, he said.

Some 80 per cent of its agricultural exports are not branded, he pointed out.

Many foreign companies import raw materials from Việt Nam or invest in processing facilities here and create branded products of very high value, he said.

Vietnamese brands are few and weak, he added.

Nguyễn Anh Đức, chairman of the Association of Việt Nam Retailers, said e-commerce is creating a big push for Vietnamese goods and logistics and infrastructure development are enhancing the supply of these goods and their competitiveness.

He suggested several measures to elevate Vietnamese goods in both the domestic and foreign markets.

There should be comprehensive and regional plans for goods made under the "One Commune One Product" national programme to avoid overlapping and competition with each other and to identify key products, he said.

Long-term investments in brands on a national or even global level are needed.

The simultaneous development of logistics, e-commerce and digitisation should be facilitated, he said, adding that e-commerce is fragmented despite its fast growth.

Đặng Trần Nhật Thoại, deputy director of the Đồng Nai Province Department of Industry and Trade’s trade management division, said raising public awareness of Vietnamese brands is one way to safeguard them and encourage people to avoid fake goods, he said.

Businesses should register for intellectual property rights and work with large, trustworthy distributors to promote their products, he added.

Trần Thái Nghiêm, deputy director of Cần Thơ City Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said to build a brand an agricultural item needs to be sold frequently in the market, and so storage facilities and avoiding seasonality are important.

Relevant authorities should develop the processing industry, especially vegetable processing in the Mekong Delta, and create high-quality farming areas to ensure an abundant supply of vegetables and fruits to help build brands, he said.

Trần Hoàng Khơi, head of the Cà Mau Province Department of Industry and Trade’s commercial management division, said his province has been focusing on building brands for its agricultural produce and protecting trademarks.

In future it would concentrate more on strengthening value chains to link up supply and demand, ensuring stable outlets for branded products and thus development of local brands, he said.

Other experts highlighted the importance of green and sustainable production and environmentally friendly packaging to improve Vietnamese goods’ standing in the competitive global market, calling them a “green passport” for these goods to enter international supply chains. - VNS