The “Be Vietnamese buy Vietnamese-made goods” campaign is having a positive ripple effect socially, as it is getting a very favorable response by local consumers and producers.
This fact was acknowledged by participants at a meeting held by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee on May 18 to gather suggestions for a draft review of one year of the city’s implementation of the Politburo’s policy on prioritizing Vietnamese-made goods and make plans for 2011.
According to participants, many creative and practical activities, with assistance from media organizations, have increased local consumer awareness of buying Vietnamese goods.
Although a year was not sufficient for implementing such a big campaign it was decisively significant to the survival of Vietnamese goods in the context of post-economic crisis.
The campaign has helped to change the attitudes of people who now give priority to Vietnamese brands and have confidence in the production and business capacity of Vietnamese enterprises as well as the quality of Vietnamese goods and services.
About 58 percent of consumers have shown an increased interest in Vietnamese goods.
The consumption of Vietnamese made products in Saigon Co-op Mart supermarkets, the largest market chain in the country, saw an increase of 58 percent in 2010 as against the same period in 2009, while import products saw a year-on-year rise of only 22 percent.
For enterprises, the campaign has opened up an excellent opportunity to develop production, grow businesses and create prestigious product brands.
Many enterprises have taken advantage of this opportunity to affirm their role, responsibilities and abilities in the local market.
Besides achievements, the participants also pointed out problems of the campaign.
They said some relevant agencies were not fully aware of the requirements of the campaign, so they did not concentrate on the implementation of the campaign.
Counterfeit and poor quality commodities remain available in the market, lowering the prestige of Vietnamese goods and obstructing production of authentic producers.
Some consumers still prefer foreign brands to Vietnamese ones.
In addition, high lending interest rates have also reduced competitiveness of Vietnamese goods compared to imports in terms of pricing.
Nguyen Thi Hong, vice chairperson of the HCMC People’s Committee, said the campaign would be developed in a depth manner with the participation of both people and enterprises.
She said the city would focus on communication activities and hold regular seminars on many topics relating to the campaign. Cultural and art competitions relating to the topic “Be Vietnamese buy Vietnamese-made goods” will lend higher visibility to the campaign and increase its effectiveness.
