Manufacturers in Vietnam: what the factories make and how to buy from them

What Vietnam sells to the US

US goods imports from Vietnam were $193.9 billion in 2025, up from $136.3 billion in 2024^[1], and the gap between what the US buys and sells there is now the largest US goods trade deficit of any partner in January to July 2026, at $138.9 billion^[2]. For consumer brands, the category numbers matter more than the total. Vietnam's customs agency reports these shipments to the US:

Toys and sports goods changed fastest on that list. If you make them, ask early about capacity for your season, since shipments of the category to the US have grown quickly.

Who owns the factories

Vietnam's export base is largely foreign owned. The statistics office reports 77.3% of Vietnam's 2025 goods exports, or $367.09 billion, from the foreign-invested sector (including crude oil)^[4]. In practice a factory may belong to a group based in another country. Ask who the parent company is, where decisions are made, and which plant will make your order.

Where the materials come from

A Vietnamese garment or shoe is often made from imported inputs. Customs figures show nearly 50% of Vietnam's imported textile, garment and footwear materials in 2025 came from China, worth $16.67 billion^[3]. That matters twice for a US buyer:

• Origin. Imports must carry marking with the English name of the country of origin, under 19 CFR 134.11^[5], and clothing has its own origin rules, so ask your customs broker which rule applies to your product.
• Forced labor. A US Department of Labor list covers cotton garments made in Vietnam with cotton harvested in China, which the Department of Labor lists as an input produced with forced labor^[6]. Separately, it names garments listed for both child labor and forced labor, and footwear, furniture, leather, textiles and timber listed for child labor, on the US Department of Labor's 2024 List of Goods^[6]. Listings describe goods, not particular factories, but a buyer of cotton apparel from Vietnam needs a traceable fiber source as much as a buyer in China does, so ask for the origin of the fabric and fiber, not only of the sewing.

Where production is

Industry is weighted toward the south, which the US Commercial Service calls the dominant industry hub^[7]. The provincial map has changed: Vietnam now has 34 provincial-level units, 28 provinces and 6 cities, since 12 June 2025^[8], and the main southern hub is Ho Chi Minh City, now including the former Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces^[8]. Older province names still appear on business licenses, invoices and factory addresses, so a mismatch between documents may be the merger, not a red flag. Ask for both the old and the new address to be confirmed.

Vietnam's maritime administration reports these container volumes:

• more than 8.9 million TEU of containers through the port of Ho Chi Minh City in 2025, up 14.5%^[9]
• more than 7.6 million TEU of containers through the Cai Mep port cluster in 2025, up 7.4%^[9]
• more than 8.2 million TEU of containers through the port of Hai Phong in 2025, up more than 16%^[9]

A factory in the north and one in the south may ship from different ports, so ask which port each quote assumes when you compare FOB prices.

Labor rules that shape your lead time

Overtime is capped by law, and the cap decides how far a factory can stretch in peak season. The Labour Code allows up to 300 overtime hours a year in textile, garment and footwear manufacturing, against a general cap of 200 hours^[10]. The government has asked for a review: there was a May 2026 request from the Standing Deputy Prime Minister that the Ministry of Home Affairs study adjusting overtime rules for textiles and footwear in the next Labor Code revision^[11]. The sector is large, with about 1.8 million workers in textiles and garments and about 1.5 million in footwear and bags^[11].

Workers get 5 days of paid Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday under the Labour Code^[10], so schedule deliveries due early in the year well before it. The minimum wage is VND 5,310,000 a month in Region I from 1 January 2026, under Decree 293/2025/ND-CP^[12], which is a legal floor, not a guide to what a factory pays or charges.

Duty is the last piece. On top of each product's normal rate, the tariff schedule lists Products of Vietnam: the subheading's duty plus 12.5% (heading 9903.05.84), apart from products in headings 9903.05.85 to 9903.05.92^[13]. Put it into the landed cost before comparing Vietnam with another country. That line has a specific origin. After Section 301 investigations of 60 economies, opened on March 12, 2026, related to the failure to impose and effectively enforce a ban on imports of goods produced with forced labor^[14], the outcome listed 54 economies, Vietnam included, that USTR found have failed to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor^[15], and USTR closed the investigations with a July 28, 2026 notice of actions in all 60 investigations, imposing tariffs on all products of each investigated economy, with certain exemptions^[15]. The same notice added a new U.S. note 52 to chapter 99, under which headings 9903.05.20 to 9903.05.84 impose additional duties on all products of the countries they cover^[15], and Vietnam's line sits in that range.

Getting quotes from Vietnam

Tell us where your fabric or materials come from, if you know, and which port suits you, and we introduce you to manufacturers in Vietnam that fit your specification, each one named. If none fits, we tell you. The manufacturers quote you directly; ask each manufacturer for its shipping terms, so you can line its quote up with quotes from China, India or Mexico.