Seminar seeks to increase handicraft exports to Japan

Vietnamese ceramic products will be the highlight of a week-long festival in the southern province of Binh Duong in September

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Vietnamese businesses need to pay more attention to designing and creating unique handicraft products in order to boost exports to the Japanese market and increase their competitiveness over rivals from China, India and Myanmar, say Japanese experts.

At a seminar on increasing handicraft exports to the Japanese market, held in Hanoi Thursday, Setsuko Okura, Managing Director of the Japanese company Osmic Ltd, said that after becoming more competitive and attractive, many Vietnamese handicrafts have become popular in the Japanese market.

The use of Vietnam’s embroidered bags has also become trendy with young Japanese people.

She stated that in recent years, the design of Vietnamese ceramic and lacquer products has been vastly improved. However, to penetrate deeper into the Japanese market, Vietnamese handicrafts must ensure two factors: design and price.

According to Takata, a leading Japanese designer, besides these two factors, Vietnam’s handicraft products must be unique and decorative.

He suggested that the Vietnamese government should introduce strategies to train designers and encourage Vietnamese students to study design in Japan to ascertain Japanese consumers’ tastes.

At the seminar, several Japanese experts chose 10 Vietnamese handicraft producers to attend an exhibition themed “Lifestyle Vietnam ” in Tokyo from November 30 to December 9 this year.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Japan is one of Vietnam ’s major handicraft importers and is expected to import US$150 million worth of Vietnamese handicrafts this year, accounting for 4 percent of the country’s total handicraft import value.

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Unique design key to Japanese market

A woman makes handicrafts for export in Ha Noi's Chuong My District. – VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Hue

HA NOI — While Japan stands as one of Viet Nam's largest importers of handicrafts, there is still potential to further increase sales in that particular market, according to Do Kim Lang, deputy director of the Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade's.

Speaking at a conference held yesterday, Lang urged local handicraft producers to continue to study Japanese customs and learn their market demands in order to maximise business opportunities.

Improving quality and diversifying designs should be the top priority as competition for Vietnamese arts and handicrafts continued to rise, Lang said.

Kohei Takata, a leading expert in the Japanese design industry agreed. He said design was the biggest challenge facing Vietnamese handicraft producers.

If the country intends to conquer the Japanese market, the Vietnamese must export products in alignment with the design standards of Japanese consumers. In addition, Vietnamese producers need to improve the abilities of their designers.

Managing director Setsuko Okura of Japan's Osmic Limited Company said Viet Nam should decide whether it will produce and export large quantities of handicrafts or whether it will focus on producing smaller quantities of unique products with the potential for higher export prices. Okura noted that unique products were more aligned with Japanese consumer taste.

Other trade experts at the conference said that companies needed to pay closer attention to meeting delivery deadlines, maintaining product quality and complying with import regulations.

They should also take advantage of the information resources provided by trade promotion agencies in order to have up-to-date information on the Japanese market.

Viet Nam is targeting US$150 million worth of arts and handicrafts to be exported to Japan this year, which would account for 4 per cent of the Japanese demand. This figure is lower than Viet Nam's potential in this sector.

Lang concluded the conference by assuring companies that the Trade Promotion Agency would continue to support exports to Japan and South Korea. — VNS

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Seminar seeks to increase handicraft exports to Japan

Vietnamese businesses need to pay more attention to designing and
creating unique handicraft products in order to boost exports to the
Japanese market and increase their competitiveness over rivals from
China , India and Myanmar , say Japanese experts.

At a seminar on increasing handicraft exports to the Japanese market,
held in Hanoi on September 9, Setsuko Okura, Managing Director of the
Japanese company Osmic Ltd, said that after becoming more competitive
and attractive, many Vietnamese handicrafts have become popular in the
Japanese market. The use of Vietnam ’s embroidered bags has also
become trendy with young Japanese people.

She
stated that in recent years, the design of Vietnamese ceramic and
lacquer products has been vastly improved. However, to penetrate deeper
into the Japanese market, Vietnamese handicrafts must ensure two
factors: design and price.

According to Takata, a
leading Japanese designer, besides these two factors, Vietnam ’s
handicraft products must be unique and decorative.

He suggested that the Vietnamese government should introduce strategies
to train designers and encourage Vietnamese students to study design in
Japan to ascertain Japanese consumers’ tastes.

At the seminar, several Japanese experts chose 10 Vietnamese
handicraft producers to attend an exhibition themed “Lifestyle Vietnam ”
in Tokyo from November 30 to December 9 this year.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade , Japan is one of
Vietnam ’s major handicraft importers and is expected to import 150
million USD worth of Vietnamese handicrafts this year, accounting for 4
percent of the country’s total handicraft import value./.

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