Alibaba Alternatives for Vietnam sourcing: 12+ resources to find products in Vietnam
Are you looking to source products from Vietnam? Not sure who you can trust? Need a Vietnam Sourcing Company to help you out? Read our guide to learn how!
Vietnam Manufacturing is booming and finding the right supplier is getting easier but it’s not as easy as China and there are still several challenges. One of the biggest issues with finding suppliers is that the business landscape of Vietnam is fragmented. While Vietnam is the third fastest growing economy in the world, the country is still experiencing growing pains. When finding a supplier it sometimes feels like the wild west and information can be hard to come by without actually being there. Despite this, there are still several resources to help you out. This guide compiles the best ways to find a supplier in Vietnam.
Databases for finding Vietnamese suppliers
While China has Alibaba and several others alternatives to find suppliers, you may be asking how do I find suppliers in Vietnam. For starting out, you can actually use Alibaba as they allow you to sort by country -- Simply select Vietnam on the country tab. Beyond Alibaba, there are a few other websites that focus specifically on Vietnam and are a great resource to find Vietnamese suppliers.
Alibaba - https://www.alibaba.com/vn
Even though Alibaba is a Chinese company whose focus is on China, they still have a very impressive list of Vietnamese suppliers. If you used Alibaba to find suppliers in China then you are already familiar with how to search for suppliers and if you do not then check out our guide: https://www.cosmosourcing.com/blog/sourcing-on-alibaba-to-sell-on-amazon-fba
Vietnam Export http://en.vietnamexport.com/
A good modern website that maintains a large database of verified factories in Vietnam. The website is endorsed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam. The website is much better to use than others due to quality. In addition to the database, they provide a ton of industry-specific information and news. The website also promotes agricultural products such as coffee and Lychee, which is often difficult to find.
Vietnam Manufacturers http://www.vietnammanufacturers.vn/en/
Founded in 2009, Vietnam Manufacturers started as a trade journal to promote Vietnamese companies and business interest worldwide. They have since expanded and now provide a large searchable database, trade show promotions, and industry-specific publications.
VTown http://vtown.vn/en/category7.html
Vtown.vn is owned by Washin Engine Co. and is actually intended to be a database of Japanese companies that do manufacturing and business in Vietnam. Regardless they maintain a very good database of Vietnamese based manufacturers that are in English and easy to search. Since the factories in their database are largely Japanese managed you tend to find manufacturers that have a much higher quality control. I have used this database and found good suppers through them.
VietnamAZ http://www.vietaz.com/home/index.htm
VietnamAZ is made for American Companies who are looking to buy and do business in Vietnam. They maintain a large database of suppliers.
VietnameseMade.com http://www.vietnamesemade.com/home/index.php
VietnameseMade is another database of manufacturers that focus on the Vietnamese market. It is a B2B trade portal to help connect buyers around the world to sellers in Vietnam.
VCCI News http://vccinews.com/exporter.asp
While the main focus on the website is to provide news to exporters in Vietnam they do maintain a directory of business in Vietnam. The directory is a little simple and organized by category so it’s not the easiest to use.
Global Sources www.Globalsources.com
While the main focus is on China and they still have a decent search for suppliers in Vietnam. Global sources are one of the 3 websites (along with Alibaba and 1688) that I would recommend you always use for every project. Global sources is a Hong Kong-based company that provides a very well vetted list of suppliers and puts on several trade shows. Global Sources was started in 1960 and it’s first suppliers databases were published on CD-Roms. Global Sources also runs a sourcing trade show that runs in the gaps of the Canton Fair.
Global sources main draw is that they do a much better job with supplier quality control and the website is made for English speakers. The website is clean and is much easier to navigate and use than Alibaba. Global Sources also provide several tools to help you organize quotes.
Industry Specific Associations and Databases
Vietnam has a huge and diversified economy that spans many different industries. As these industries grow, many have created trade associations in order to actively promote specific industries interest not just in Vietnam but to the world. Several of these associations maintain their own databases of suppliers. This is not a complete list, as there are almost 100 different Trade associations in Vietnam, Cosmo maintains an internal database and if you reach out to use we can introduce you to one to fit your needs.
Vietnam Textile and Apparel association http://www.vietnamtextile.org.vn
The Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association represents hundreds of manufacturers, suppliers and other companies associated with the clothing industry in Vietnam. The Association seeks to promote Vietnamese apparel, garment and textile manufacturers to the world and host regular events and trade shows as well as maintaining a directory of manufacturers. The directory is limited only to those manufacturers that pay the membership fee so isn’t as complete as it should be.
Vietnam Rubber Association http://www.vra.com.vn/en.html
Vietnam is one of the only countries that has a fully vertical supply chain for rubber goods. Vietnam has a large agricultural base to supply raw rubber and latex to factories who can make finished products.
Vietnam Coffee - Cacao Association - http://vicofa.org.vn/Default.aspx?language=en-US
VICOFA Is a private trade association representing the interest of the Coffee and Cacao industry. They represent over 100 members that range from Producers and farmers, as well as processors, warehousing and logistics companies that work with the coffee industry. Cosmo sourcing has a dedicated unit devoted to Coffee Sourcing and can help you out.
Vietnam Footwear Leather and Handbag Association - http://www.lefaso.org.vn/default.aspx?ID1=2
This association is more focused on the leather and handbag aspect than on shoes, but they do a great job connecting potential buyers in the leather goods industry. They have over 200 members who are predominantly in the handmade leather goods.
Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers ((VASEP) - http://seafood.vasep.com.vn/
Vietnam is the third largest exporter of Seafood in the world producing over $5 Billion in seafood exports a year. VASEP represents hundreds of fisheries, fisherman, packaging companies and much more in the seafood industry. They also maintain their own supplier database. Cosmo does not have the capabilities to source seafood, so if you are interested in sourcing seafood from Vietnam please reach out to VASEP yourself.
Vietnam Steel Association - http://vsa.com.vn/
One of the main products Cosmo sources for clients in Vietnam are steel goods. Vietnam is a great place to get a wide range of steel products, ranging from wire, nails, and rods to heavy steel beams and more.
Vietnam Electronics industry - http://www.veia.org.vn/
A disappointingly low tech and outdated site for what is Vietnam's most promising and forward-thinking industry. The Vietnam Electronics industry represents a huge number of manufacturers of electronics in Vietnam and you can reach out to them in order to find a suitable partner.
Vietnam Sourcing Fairs and Trade Shows
Vietnam, much like the rest of the world has several trade shows throughout the year. Most of the trade shows in Vietnam are focused on specific industries. Trade shows are concentrated in just two cities as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City host over 90% of the trade shows in the country. For a full list of Trade shows in Vietnam check out: https://10times.com/vietnam/tradeshows
VIETNAM EXPO 2019 - http://vietnamexpo.com.vn/en
Vietnam Expo is Vietnam's largest trade show and is one of the only ones that are not focused on any particular industry. Vietnam Expo’s focus is on a general promotion of trade and industry in Vietnam and to connect international buyers to Vietnamese suppliers. Vietnam Expo aims to be for Vietnam what the Canton Fair is for China. The Fair is held in Hanoi and the next one will take place April 8-14, 2019.
VIETNAM INTERNATIONAL PREMIUM SOURCING FAIR 2019 (VIPREMIUM 2019) - http://vipremium.vn/about-vipremium/
VIPREMIUM is one of the most popular fairs is held May 30 - June 2, 2019, in Ho Chi Minh City. VIPREMIUM focus on higher-end goods sold and manufacturers in Vietnam. To be clear the fair does have a large number of items that are manufacturers outside of Vietnam but available for wholesale, nonetheless, it is a good place to find higher-end goods in Vietnam.
Chambers of Commerce
Chambers of Commerce can often be a great start to find suppliers, as almost all of them maintain a large database of potential suppliers.
Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce and Industry - http://vccinews.com/
Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) supplies information to people who wish to find suppliers. Simply get in touch with a representative and you can get a list of Vietnamese members who could be potential partners. It’s a good resource to find a list of supplies but not a great way to form long-term relationships.
AmCham Vietnam: http://www.amchamvietnam.com/
The American Chamber of Commerce, abbreviated to AmCham, is so large that they operate 2 of them, AmCham Hanoi and AmCham Ho Chi Minh City. Both are similar in that they promote American business interest abroad. They maintain a large database of American manufacturers and businesses in Vietnam and if you are an American or represent an American Company, can connect you to Vietnamese suppliers in their database.
South Korea: http://korchamvietnam.com & Japan Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam: http://jbav.vn/en/
I don’t want to go overboard with the listing chamber of commerce, but I’m linking both Japan and South Korea simply because both countries have a large manufacturing presence in Vietnam. Both of these chambers of commerce maintain a list of their companies from their respective countries that have manufacturing in Vietnam. While Vietnam's manufacturing has taken off their management in many ways still feels a little antiquated and many people prefer working with a foreign managed company that has a more western style of doing business.
There are over 120 countries Chamber of Commerce that are operating in Vietnam and you should be able to find them by putting in “[Country name] Chamber of Commerce Vietnam” and get the results you are looking for.
COSMO SOURCING, YOUR VIETNAM SOURCING COMPANY
If you’re looking for a partner in Vietnam then give Cosmo Sourcing a chance. If you are interested feel free to reach out to me at jim@cosmosourcing.com or ask me any questions you may have. Cosmo has been sourcing in Vietnam since 2014 and has worked with several clients to find products and partners and suppliers. Cosmo is one of the only Sourcing companies that have expertise in both China and Vietnam and can actively source and compare products in both countries. Thanks for reading and we look forward to working with you!