The Australian Cotton Vietnam Week is led by the Australian Cotton Shippers Association (ACSA) and Cotton Australia and supported by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade). It will include visits to the mills and manufacturers and seminars in the three cities.

The seminars provide an overview of the Australian cotton industry, updates on the 2023 season and the broader market, and brand demands. This is also a chance to deepen the knowledge of Vietnam’s textile manufacturers of the Australian cotton supply chains and Australian sustainability practices.

The Australia Cotton Seminar, which was held in HCM on August 7, began the series. 

Speaking at the seminar, Rob Cairns, Export Marketing Consultant of ACSA, said that the Australian industry wants to build deeper relationships with the local textile and apparel industry as demand is anticipated to grow in the coming years.

"This trip is the first of its kind with ACSA, Cotton Australia joined by brands and CSIRO researchers to deliver the story of ‘the complete package’ about why Australian cotton should be the fibre of choice for the textile industry in Vietnam”, Carins said. 

Rebecca Ball, Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner, Austrade, said: “We are so delighted to welcome back representatives of Australian cotton to Vietnam with an expanded and more diverse delegation this year, comprising of iconic and innovative brands, workwear, school wear and leisure brands as well as a leading cotton specialist from the CSIRO.

"Australian Cotton is a success story we should be very proud of. It highlights modern Australian farming – embracing reduced insecticide and water usage to produce a premium product. The week in Vietnam is a chance to celebrate existing relationships and build new ones.

"In 2022, Vietnam was the largest export market for Australian cotton, with a 38.8% market share and on current trends it appears Vietnam will remain one of our largest export markets for Australian cotton," she said.  

From 2020 to 2022, Australia’s exports of cotton to Vietnam rose from 78 million AUD to an incredible 1.69 billion AUD. Key supply factors such as favourable weather conditions, increased national crop, premium quality, proven sustainability track record, competitive prices, and proximity are key advantages that have buoyed Australian cotton exports to Vietnam. 

Vietnam has several other competitive advantages as an export destination that Australian cotton producers are able to take advantage of including free trade agreements and increasing demand from apparel manufacturers.

The Australian Cotton trade delegation includes representatives of Sportscraft, Struddys, Big W, AS Colour, Modibodi, Workwear Group, New Romantic and Michell Wool./. VNS