Garment delegates visit clothing factories in Vietnam & Cambodia

27 Jun '08

2 min read

The Hong Kong garment and footwear industry enjoyed a first-hand look at business and investment opportunities in Vietnam and Cambodia earlier this month during a five-day trip organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).

The Hong Kong Garment and Footwear Partnership Mission to Vietnam and Cambodia, 5-9 May, included 29 delegates from the garment industry and 14 from the footwear industry.

Ralph Chow, Director of Product Promotion at the HKTDC, and one of the mission leaders, said the visit was organised to help Hong Kong garment and shoe manufacturers "explore the possibility of relocating their factories to Vietnam or Cambodia."

Garment delegates visited two clothing factories in Vietnam and three in Cambodia. These included Vietnam's biggest garment manufacturer, Thanh Cong Textile Garment Co, which boasts 5,000 employees, and Hong Kong company Tack Fat Garment (Cambodia) Ltd, Cambodia's largest foreign investor and employer.

Footwear delegates visited two factories in Vietnam and two in Cambodia, including a Taiwanese company, a Hong Kong factory and a mainland operation.

Local officials briefed the delegates on the investment environment in Vietnam's Long An Industrial Zone and Cambodia's Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone.

"We looked into the infrastructure, facilities, services and operational practices of both countries," said Larry Lau, Director and General Manager of Legent Footwear Ltd.

"The mission also provided us with opportunities to network with local industry players and officials. That will be very helpful when we are making our investment decisions," he added.

Also pleased with the mission's results was Barry Liu, Managing Director of Fortune Trader Industrial Ltd. "Free trade is very important for investors.

One of the biggest advantages of Cambodia is its liberal economy, including the fact that there are no foreign exchange controls."

Felix Chung, Director of the Hong Kong Apparel Society, and John Khuu, Director of the Federation of Hong Kong Footwear, were the mission's co-leaders.

Hong Kong Trade Development Council