Mr. Vu Duc Giang - Chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) said that the Association currently has nearly 1,000 official and affiliated member enterprises.
At the time VITAS was first established, Vietnam's textile and garment industry mainly served domestic consumption needs, with export turnover being very small compared to Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines... and now it has risen to the position of the third largest exporting country in the world, after China and Bangladesh.
The domestic market has also increased from over 300 million USD to about 4.5 billion USD over the past 25 years. The trade surplus in 2024 will reach 19 billion USD, an increase of 108.6 times compared to 175 million USD in 1999.
With a workforce of over 3 million people, the textile and garment industry is the largest employment provider among the country's economic sectors, contributing to ensuring social security, maintaining social order and safety, increasing budget revenue for the State and localities, and shifting economic structure.
In 2024, despite facing many challenges and difficulties, the Vietnamese textile and garment industry will still maintain a fairly good growth rate, compared to 2023.
Export turnover is estimated at 44 billion USD, up 11.26%, import turnover is estimated at 25 billion USD, up 14.79%; trade surplus is 19 billion USD, up 6.93%.
The United States remains the largest export market for Vietnam's textile and garment industry with an estimated export turnover of 16.71 billion USD, up 12.33% and accounting for 37.98% of total export turnover. Followed by the markets of Japan, EU, Korea, China, and ASEAN.
"Over the past 25 years, the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association has played a good role as a bridge between textile and garment enterprises and the Government, ministries, branches and localities to reflect on difficulties in policies, administrative procedures, specialized inspections, taxes, customs, labor, wages, insurance, etc.
At the same time, participate in building support policies, facilitating trade for businesses, and participate in Government negotiation delegations on free trade agreements" - Mr. Vu Duc Giang emphasized.
From now until 2030, the Vietnamese textile and garment industry will gradually shift from rapid development to sustainable development. From 2031-2035, develop sustainably and effectively according to the circular economic model; complete the domestic value chain and participate in a high-value position in the global supply chain.
