Demand for Viet goods stable in quake-hit Japan

At ports in Ho Chi Minh City like Cat Lai, Tan Cang and Phuoc Long, goods waiting for export to Japan are not lacking.

Girdle cakes, pancakes, shrimp pastries, rice vermicelli, aquatic products, plastic tables, plywood are busily loaded, destined for Japan.

Goods exported to Japan through Cat Lai Port alone after the March 11 quake averages US$1 million per day.

Due to high demand, Japanese partners have accepted a 10% increase in contracts with Vietnamese firms.

According to Ho Quoc Luc, director of Soc Trang province-based Fimex that exports seafood, as Japanese dare not use food near the nuclear incident site, many Japanese firms have urged Fimex to export products earlier than committed in contracts.

Likewise, Pham Xuan Hong, chairperson of Saigon Garment Company No 3, said Japanese companies several times stressed that the goods must be handed over in time.

Saigon Garment has valid contracts with three Japanese companies until this year’s end worth a total US$60 million, with 400,000 – 500,000 products to be exported a month ($4-5 million).

Vo Van Phuc, director of Vina Cleanfood said 60-70% of its shrimps are exported to Japan.

Japanese firms have inked many contracts for seafood, meant to serve Japan’s upcoming holidays in late April and early May.

It is estimated demands will rise strongly from this June

Pham Minh Huong, deputy director of Phong Phu Garment Company also projected exports to Japan to rise

Huong is targeting a 15% increase in exports to Japan this year compared to the last.

In the first three months of 2011, Phong Phu has exported napkins and towels worth $4 million to the quake-hit nation.

Nguyen Ton Quyen, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Association of Wood and Timber said that Japan’s demand for woods will even rise after the earthquake and tsunami as the country needs them for construction purposes.

This year, if Vietnam does well, it can export nearly $1 billion worth of wood products, he added.

Meanwhile, tourism in Japan has come back to normal.

Sekiguchi Ken, deputy director of Apex Vietnam said right after the quake, many domestic tours have been canceled but from March 21, the cancellation started to dwindle and from March 28, tourism has nearly come back to normal in Japan.

According to Ken, in thickly populated areas like Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka…, tourism is mostly unaffected. – Tuoitre

Tags: Vietnamese goods