GARMENT, TEXTILE INDUSTRY LOOKS TO AI, ROBOTS TO BOOST COMPETITIVENESS
The textile and garment industry is seeking to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and automation to improve productivity, meet increasingly stringent international standards and move towards higher value-added production. Đỗ Nam Bình, deputy director of the Industry Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said textiles and garments remained a strategic sector of the Vietnamese economy with significant contribution to export earnings, job creation and the country’s integration into global supply chains.
VIETNAM MANUFACTURING GROWTH EASES IN OCTOBER AS EXPORT ORDERS FALL
The S&P Global Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index ticked up to 52.3 points in October from 51.9 points in September, pointing to a further modest monthly strengthening in the health of the sector at the start of the fourth quarter. Business conditions have now improved in 16 consecutive months. The overall improvement in operating conditions was limited by slower rises in output and new orders.
JAPANESE FDI SUPPORTS GREEN TRANSITION IN VIỆT NAM'S MANUFACTURING SECTOR
Japanese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is strengthening Việt Nam's manufacturing capacity and accelerating the green transition, as more Japanese companies expand production and adopt sustainable industrial solutions. Việt Nam has become an important market and strategic manufacturing base in Southeast Asia for Japanese investors, reflecting their long-term confidence in the country’s economic potential and sustainable growth prospects.
TEXTILE EXPORTS FACE DUAL CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINING ORDERS AND BOOSTING EFFICIENCY AMID GROWING COMPETITION
Data shows that the textile and garment sector maintained its growth momentum in the first nine months of this year. The industry's total export turnover reached an estimated US$35.721 billion in the first nine months of this year, up 3.3 per cent year-on-year. Despite posting encouraging export figures, Vietnamese textile and garment enterprises continue to navigate unpredictable market variables.
VIỆT NAM TARGETS $48 BILLION IN TEXTILE-GARMENT EXPORTS
Việt Nam’s textile and garment industry is facing both opportunities and challenges amid complex and unpredictable developments in the global market, prompting businesses to improve growth quality, optimise production costs and enhance adaptability in pursuit of an export turnover of about $48 billion this year. The target is considered an important milestone that requires concerted efforts from management agencies and the business community.
VIỆT NAM'S FOOTWEAR, BAG EXPORTS TO US TOP $8 BILLION IN EIGHT MONTHS
Việt Nam's exports of footwear and handbags to the US exceeded US$8 billion in the first eight months of 2026, as the US and EU remained the country's biggest markets despite sluggish growth in footwear shipments. Exports from Việt Nam's leather and footwear sector reached more than $2.45 billion in August, down 9 per cent from July but up 3 per cent from a year earlier, according to preliminary statistics.
MANUFACTURING PRODUCTION RISES AT FASTEST PACE IN JUST OVER TWO YEARS
Growth in the Vietnamese manufacturing sector continued to strengthen midway through the third quarter of the year. The S&P Global Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) posted 53.3 points in August, up from 52.9 points in July and above the 50.0 no-change mark for the fourteenth consecutive month. The latest strengthening of business conditions in the sector, as revealed on September 3, was the most pronounced since February.
MANUFACTURING GROWTH STRENGTHENED IN JULY
The S&P Global Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 52.9 points in July, up from 51.8 points in June and signalling a solid monthly improvement in the health of the sector. Business conditions have now strengthened in 13 consecutive months, with the latest improvement the most pronounced since February.
