FAQ - How do I find a supplier (or build a factory) in Vietnam?

We are conducting research to locate potential manufacturers for our products, and to investigate the possibility of acquiring (or design build) a manufacturing facility in Vietnam. We do not have a current contacts to assist with business relations in Vietnam. Can you provide such services or information?

Answer

We have received many questions from U.S. Companies that want to source product from Vietnam, either find an existing supplier or build their own factory. Please read the below carefully, click on the links and explore all the information that is available.

If you have additional general information questions, please ask us by email, or skype us.

As your questions become more specific, you’ll need to talk with our member firms that provide professional and businesses services for investing in Vietnam.

When U.S. firms contact us for information, we inform members of our Investment Promotion Committee about your interest, and they will contact you to answer your questions directly.

AmCham member companies share experience

There are many AmCham members that can help you find potential manufacturers for your product(s). Click on the words highlighted in red for additional detailed information.

Vietnam B2B Direct offers complete supply chain management services, customized to clients’ needs, such as: Business Sourcing, Screening, Company Profiling and Business Matching, VN Escorted Factory Tours, Sampling, Quotations, Negotiations, Manufacturing Agreements, Production Oversight, Quality Control Inspections and Product Shipment. Vietnam B2B Direct represents a number of worldwide companies as a managing agent, buyer’s agent or sole representative for low cost manufacturing projects.

SEAMOC provides the guidance and management skills that will help assure the success of a factory start-up in Asia, and has already started and managed 15 factories with five factories in Vietnam, and others in China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Mexico and Puerto Rico. SEAMOC offers several services Feasibility Study and Start-Up Planning Services; Start-Up Services; Construction Services; and Sourcing Services. For example, the Feasibility Study and Start-Up Planning Service completes a start-up plan with the cash needed to become profitable. It answers all questions and determines if Vietnam makes sense for your company’s next manufacturing site, and shows savings vs. the United States or other location.

, a leading real estate company with a strong focus in Asia, operates and develops three types of assets – Logistics, Industrial and Commercial. Headquartered in Singapore, Mapletree owns and manages more than US$ 9 billion worth of properties in the Asia-Pacific region. These comprise office, logistics, industrial, business park and retail/ lifestyle properties across Asia. Our pan-Asia business network spans Singapore, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam. Click here for Mapletree Vietnam information. Click here to send an email to Mr. Dominic Leong, Deputy General Manager (Industrial)

AmCham Testing and Certification Companies and Financial/Credit Information Companies

Several AmCham companies provide financial/credit information or testing and certification of Vietnamese suppliers for U.S. brands and large retail customers such as J.C. Penney, Target, Wal-Mart, etc. All together, the testing and certification companies have “qualified” or “certified” more than 3,000 Vietnamese factories in various fields. They are pleased to receive your inquiries about suppliers and will provide a number of Vietnamese companies for you to contact.

Dun & Bradstreet Vietnam
Company description, contact points: Dun & Bradstreet (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd (D&B)
Click here to send an email to Ms Vuong Tu Hue, Deputy Representative

Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), a US company and a world leader in business information, has helped customers make effective business decisions for over 168 years. With a global database of over 160 million company records in over 200 countries, including nearly 100,000 companies in Vietnam, D&B provides information to help you in: Vendor Verification / Management; Credit/Business Risk Management; and
Sales & Marketing Management.

Intertek Testing Services Vietnam
Company description, contact points: Intertek Testing Services – Vietnam
Click here to send an email to Mr. Thanh Nguyen, Operations Manager

Intertek has provided services to over 60 US retail chains, in addition to European customers, and certified over 1,200 Vietnamese factories, with the following:
Textile & Garment Testing (fiber & care label recommendation, quality & performance testing, flammability, chemical analysis & Eco-textile testing);
Inspection (textile including garments, fabric & footwear, hard lines including toys, cookware, furniture, stationery, etc.
Corporate social responsibility (factory evaluation, social compliance audits for WRAP, BSCI, SA8000, ICTI, Buyer’s CoC audits.
Hard-line testing (furniture, household utensils, packaging materials, raw materials, juvenile products, candles, stationery, etc.)
Food services (food hygiene & sanitation inspection & certification programs for food & beverage manufacturers, suppliers, hotels & catering services, including HACCP, ISO, BRC, IFS)
Enviromental services (WEEE: the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, which sets out the financial and other responsibilities of EEE producers with regard to the collection and recycling of waste from a broad range of EEE at their end of life; RoHS: the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS), which bans the use of certain hazardous substances (such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and some polybrominated flame-retardants) in EEE; ELV: End of Life Vehicles Directive; REACH: Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances; etc.)

Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services Vietnam
Company description, contact points: Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services Vietnam
Click here to send an email to Mr. Dana Lawrence Mason, Country & Regional Manager

Offers a wide range of quality and safety compliance testing services for consumer products:
CPSIA Certification (U.S. Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act)
Hardlines Testing Furniture, Decorative Items, Candle and Candle Holder
Toys and Juvenile Products Testing
Softlines Testing Textiles, Garment and Accessories
WRAP Certification (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production)
Analytical (Chemical) Testing
Packaging Testing ISTA, FedEx, UPS, NMFTA
Inspection, Factory Audit and Assessment Services
REACH SVHC (Substance of Very High Concern) Screening Test, Data Management

SGS Vietnam
Company description, contact points: SGS Vietnam
Click here to send an email to Mr. C.K. Chu, Managing Director

Testing Services SGS tests product quality and performance against various health, safety and regulatory standards. SGS operates state of the art laboratories on or close to customers’ premises including a new 1,600 sq m (17,250 sqft) facility in HCM City.

Certification Services SGS certifies that products, systems or services meet the requirements of standards set by governments (e.g. GOST R), standardisation bodies (e.g.ISO 9000) or by SGS customers. SGS also develops and certifies its own standards.

AmCham Market Research and Business Consulting member firms could be another information source.

For example, Mekong Research provides credible, independent data and analysis on industry trends, markets, and over 6,000 of the region’s most promising companies. The company’s research is used by its clients to develop business plans, investment strategies, and marketing campaigns.

Other Asian Factories

Investors from Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, and other Asian economies can be a good source of supply. For example, there are about 4,000 factories from Taiwan established in the Ho Chi Minh City area, and they are familiar with international trade practices.

Click this link to send an email asking about potential suppliers to

Commercial Officer at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in HCM City

Korean Chamber of Commerce in HCM City

Hong Kong Business Association of Vietnam – HCM City

Japan Business Association in HCM City web site: http://jbah.info.vn/secretariat.php

Vietnamese Industry Associations

Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) is a non-governmental and non-profit organization representing the interests of all textile and apparel firms in Vietnam, foreign and domestic, with the Government of Vietnam, other governmental bodies and international organizations. It promotes VN textile and apparel products in World Markets. Click here to contact Mr. Hung PHAM, Director, External Affairs

HAWA (Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City) is the leading trade association for handicraft and wood industry in Vietnam representing more than 330 companies mainly in the field of wood processing and furniture manufacturing. Click here to contact Mr. NGUYEN Van Vy, Director

Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion Agencies

There are also Vietnamese government agencies that specialize in helping US companies identify suppliers or investment locations. For example, the Investment & Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee provides local and foreign businesses with trade leads and investment information, match-making and consulting services, and acts as an efficient bridge between local enterprises and foreign counterparts. Click this link to send an email to Ms. Ngan Giang NGUYEN, ITPC Liaison Officer to AmCham or Ms. Anh Tuyet NGUYEN, ITPC Liaison Officer to AmCham.

The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce & Industry (VCCI) also cooperates closely with us at AmCham to promote trade and investment between Vietnam and the U.S. Click this link to send an email to Ms. Vinh BUI, VCCI Liaison Officer to AmCham.

The DIZA – Dong Nai Industrial Zones Authority of the Dong Nai province People’s Committee has assisted over 678 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects from 30 countries and territories with investment capital of USD 7.845 billion, ranking third in the nation in FDI, and probably first in the nation in FDI in manufacturing facilities. DIZA manages 32 industrial zones, and is a very proactive partner in working with businesses seeking to source from or invest in Vietnam. Click here for a list of all Dong Nai’s Industrial Zones. Fron that page, you can click on links to each IZ, which will have detailed information, including land costs, utilities (electric power, water, etc.), labor rates, etc. Click here to see an example of detailed information from the Amata Industrial Estate.

The HEPZA – Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority of the Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) People’s Committee manages 11 industrial zones with one new one under construction (Cat Lai). Click here for a map showing the location of each EPZ/IZ, with clickable links that take you to pages with detailed information on land costs, utilities (electric power, water, etc.), labor rates, etc..

Click here to go direct to the web sites of three AmCham member firms that operate Industrial Zones in the Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai area:

Amata Industrial Estate

Tan Thuan EPZ

American Business Zone

AmCham Member Firms – Professional and Business Service Providers

There are 14 AmCham Legal Services firms with a major focus on facilitating commercial transactions, trade and investment, between the United States and Vietnam. Certainly several of them will be familiar with potential suppliers of your products. Click on the above red highlight Legal Services link, and then review each of the member listings. You will also have a link direct to each member’s web site and can also contact each one of them via email when you use the “Click here to contact … ” the AmCham member firm.

Ten AmCham member firms are in the Accounting and Auditing Services sector. Most of them have a consulting and advisory unit that will conduct feasibility studies and help develop business plan for new investors that want to source or product in Vietnam.

AmCham members in the Banking, Finance, and Insurance sector will know of companies that are exporting your products to the US. In particular, you will want to contact the AmCham member Banks and Venture Capital Firms that are identifying and supporting quality Vietnamese companies that can supply products to the US market.

Another good source of information may be AmCham member firms in the Transport, Shipping, and Logistics sector. They carry the exports from Vietnam and will know of companies that may be already exporting products of interest to you. In a similar category are the Air Express Carriers, including DHL, FedEx Express, TNT, UPS.

Finally, if you get the the stage of designing and building your own factory, you will want to contact AmCham member firms in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction sector.

We here in the AmCham office are at your service to facilitate communication between you and AmCham member firms, and we can also facilitate hotel arrangements, ground transportation, and appointments, along with an assistant to accompany you on your appointments, when you decide to come to Vietnam for a first-hand look.

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Plant Location International: Global Location Strategies service by IBM Global Business Services For nearly 50 years, Plant Location International (PLI) – a specialized service within IBM Global Business Services for Global Location Strategies – has established itself as a market leader in providing advice to companies on their location decisions, covering all sectors and types of business functions.

The Foreign Companies in Vietnam Yearbook

Foreign direct invested companies account for 40% of the industrial output and 60% of the exports of Vietnam in 2006-2007.

The Foreign Companies in Vietnam Yearbook 2008 and CD-Rom 2008 is a researched company database of major international companies in Vietnam. A unique Vietnamese companies directory, the Foreign Companies in Vietnam Yearbook database provides hard-to-find information on this growing emerging market. The Vietnam database features 1475 fully researched, senior executive contacts and top decision makers at 640 multinational companies in Vietnam, across 37 industry sectors. The Vietnam Yearbook also covers detailed international company profiles on parent company head offices worldwide.

Other Directories

There are a few directories that may be helpful. Probably one of the most familiar to American companies is the Vietnam Yellow Pages, a member of the YELLOW PAGES ASSOCIATION.

Vietnam Trademarks on the Internet will help you find brand-owners’ company names and contact points, along with a link to their web sites.

Mekong Research Company Directory is a proprietary online database containing eight years of economic data and information on more than 6,000 Vietnamese and foreign-invested companies, which will help clients identify suitable investment and outsourcing partners, or manufacturers of specific products.