MOIT Calls for Reopening of South-based Apparel-Footwear Materials Center

The Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) has asked its Department of Light Industry to coordinate with the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas) to hold a seminar this week to seek solutions for reopening the Lien Anh textile-garment and footwear materials center.   

 

Lien Anh Company Limited opened the center, which is located on an area of 16 hectares in the southern province of Binh Duong’s Di An District, for one week in mid-May then closed it for lack of tenants.

 

The center cost VND100 billion (US$6.25 million) to build and aimed to help cut material import expenses for apparel and footwear businesses.

 

The center includes 650 stalls and a bonded warehouse of 20,000 square meters. However, only 50 stalls were leased by 10 companies to introduce and sell their products.

 

“In the short term, this materials center was unsuccessful, but in the long-term, Vietnam will need footwear and garment materials centers for the development of this industry,” deputy minister Bui Xuan Khu said in the Saigon Times Daily.

 

The company’s deputy director Truong Thi Thuy Lien said she is seeking the industry ministry’s approval for upgrading the center to a large exhibition center and a supermarket for garment and footwear materials exchange in the southern region and calling on firms to join the center.

 

“I hope the center will be operational again next year,” she said.

 

Vitas chairman Le Quoc An told the Daily’s reporter that he had no comment on the closing of the Lien Anh facility due to no previous knowledge of the situation. (Saigon Times Daily)