(29-05-2009)
HCM CITY — Economists are urging Vietnamese businesses to launch diversified advertising and marketing programmes to ensure that their products become well known in the Cambodian market.
Tu Minh Thien, director of HCM City’s Investment and Trade Promotion Centre, said Cambodia had emerged as a potential market for Vietnamese goods.
Thien spoke at a conference on requirements for goods exported to the Cambodian market organised by the HCM City’s Investment and Trade Promotion Center yesterday.
He suggested that Vietnamese groups open several distribution channels to deeply penetrate the Cambodian market.
Vietnamese products should also be advertised in the Khmer language, the official language of Cambodia.
Thien said Vietnamese companies should organise more exhibitions and fairs in Cambodia as well as conduct surveys to understand Cambodian consumers’ needs, tastes and habits.
Thien noted that a high-quality product exhibition in April held in Cambodia recently brought sales turnover of US$3.1 billion to Vietnamese business.
According to Truong Cung Nghia, a Cambodian market research analyst, the country is an open market to exporters and foreign investors in tourism, agricultural production, construction, infrastructure and energy.
It also has advantageous policies, including free duties on imports, including raw materials for construction, production equipment and spare parts.
In addition, foreign businesses are free to set their own prices in Cambodia.
However, requirements on foodstuff imports have been strengthened.
Labels must now include the name of product, manufacturer, clear origin, weight, production and expiration date.
Cambodia has yet to set export requirements for other imported goods.
Nghia said commodities such as food, textiles and garments attract Cambodian consumers most.
Vietnamese goods have won over Cambodian consumers because they are of similar quality to countries in the region such as China or Thailand but less expensive, according to a survey.
The survey was conducted among senior officials of the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce and the country’s consumers during a Vietnamese products fair by Cambodia’s largest daily newspaper, Rasmei Kampuchea.
According to the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce, Viet Nam took the lead with US$988 million worth of products consumed in Cambodia last year, surpassing China ($784 million) and Thailand ($674 million).
Cambodian economists predict that with its geographical advantage, Viet Nam will be able to maintain its leading position if it continues to diversify its products and improve its designs. — VNS
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