Fashion brand H&M directly 'schedules' connection with Vietnamese suppliers for the first time

Vietnam International Sourcing 2025 (VIS 2025) is expected to record an unprecedented participation of European businesses, distributors and retail chains.

Promotional activities and product introduction at Vietnam International Sourcing 2024 event - Photo: VIS

This opens up great cooperation opportunities for Vietnamese businesses, especially in the fields of agricultural products, food, consumer industry and supporting industry.

According to information from the Vietnam Trade Office in Europe, after previous events recorded many positive results, this year a series of European business delegations, distributors and retail chains will come to Vietnam to look for partners at the event series "Connecting international supply chains - Viet Nam International Sourcing 2025" (VIS 2025) taking place from September 4 to 6 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Nordic and EU businesses continue to expand cooperation, many new "names" appear

The Nordic business sector is always among the most active in seeking Vietnamese partners. Among the businesses, there is the "giant" in the home appliance industry, IKEA, with its long-term cooperation strategy with the supply ecosystem in Vietnam in the wood and furniture industry.

In addition, one of the world's largest fashion corporations, H&M, also participated in the event for the first time this year, directly "booking" a connection in Ho Chi Minh City. This cooperation is expected to create a breakthrough in the textile and furniture groups, opening up a "green lane" for domestic enterprises to enter the global supply chain of the fast fashion industry.

For the food industry, many Nordic businesses such as East Asia Food AB, CT Food, Achaulien Export Import AB… will work directly at the event. Accordingly, although this market requires high technical standards and traceability, the Nordic region still has a diverse demand for goods, providing significant growth potential for Vietnamese businesses that meet compliance and sustainability requirements.

Many German companies such as SoBuy - a furniture and home appliances e-commerce brand with a global presence - will come to Vietnam to find partners to supply wooden furniture for bathrooms, gardens, kitchens, children's products and offices. Priority will be given to good design, packaging - labels meeting EU standards and stable supply.

In the supporting industry sector, many long-standing companies, including Achilles Seibert GmbH, are currently looking for manufacturers for specific nuts, screws and bolts, ensuring consistent quality and flexible progress. In fast-moving consumer goods, Wünsche Food (part of the Wünsche Group, founded in 1934) sources canned food, instant noodles and processed agricultural products, emphasizing sustainability and food safety criteria according to EU regulations…

Exchange activities at booths at Vietnam International Sourcing 2024 exhibition - Photo: VIS

UK partners also confirmed plans to work in Ho Chi Minh City under the VIS 2025 framework, creating more traction for Asian food, household goods and logistics. Longdan - a large Asian food retail chain in the UK will also expand its portfolio from groceries, dry food to frozen and processed products.

In the wood and handicrafts sector, KNP Global sources well-designed and finished products ready for retail channels. Shipping company TT Meridian focuses on logistics and cold chain solutions for agricultural products to optimize costs in the UK market.

Tonkin Product Company, meanwhile, is interested in the group of cold and frozen processed foods and ambient goods with stable delivery capacity. For the household goods group, businesses such as Midan Global look for household and decorative lines that meet packaging standards to be "on the shelves" immediately.

Eastern European "gateway" market increases opportunities for businesses to expand market share

In the context of many businesses "turning around" to shift markets, Eastern Europe is emerging as a gateway for Vietnamese goods to expand their regional presence, with standard requirements generally suitable for the production and export capacity of many domestic businesses. Therefore, when entering a market, businesses can spread to neighboring countries thanks to their interconnected distribution networks and similar consumer tastes.

Belarus has the advantage of being located in a transit position to the Eurasian Economic Union, especially Russia. Modern retail systems and importers in the fields of food, beverages, fast-moving consumer goods, footwear and textiles are looking for stable supplies from Vietnam; a number of supermarket chains and beverage and footwear brands have expressed interest, thereby opening the door to promoting into other markets.

In addition, Hungary and Bulgaria also recorded steady demand for food and beverages, nutritional/dairy products and household goods. Vietnamese enterprises can take advantage of import hubs in Budapest and Sofia to expand into Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans, where reasonable prices, stable supply and EU-standard packaging and labeling are often priority criteria. If they can seize the opportunity, this will be a "new growth area" for Vietnamese goods in the regional distribution chain.

In Ukraine alone, despite the difficulties, the country is developing a reconstruction plan and strengthening international cooperation, opening up a great demand for essential goods. This is a "strategic time" for Vietnamese enterprises to supply food groups - processed agricultural products, oils and fats used in processing, dry noodles - vermicelli - pho, seeds and spices, and footwear - textiles for fast consumption... Requirements on safety, labeling and traceability are at an appropriate level, creating conditions for bringing goods to the market immediately.

Not only is it a place to introduce products, it is also an opportunity for domestic enterprises to test themselves against the strict standards of the European market. Direct contact with major buyers also helps enterprises re-evaluate their capacity, improve production processes and build brands according to international standards. Thus, with many opportunities spanning many industries, Vietnamese enterprises can develop cooperative relationships and directly promote orders with European purchasing delegations participating in VIS 2025.

Vietnamese businesses take advantage of opportunities to connect and trade effectively

VIS 2025 is organized under the direction of the Ministry of Industry and Trade , with the coordination of more than 60 Vietnamese Trade Offices abroad in searching and screening buyers. The event is expected to welcome about 300 purchasing delegations from 60 countries, arranging more than 3,000 B2B appointments.

On the platform of 500 booths of 400 Vietnamese enterprises, introducing more than 12,000 products in four key industry groups, the event also organized factory and raw material area surveys and provided free in-depth consulting services.

VIS 2025 is expected to be not only an opportunity for Vietnamese businesses to "meet" new partners, but also a foundation for forming a sustainable supply chain, meeting international market standards and making the most of opportunities for deep integration.

Truong Linh

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hang-thoi-trang-hm-lan-dau-truc-tiep-dat-lich-ket-noi-voi-nha-cung-ung-viet-20250813101647473.htm