The Vietnam Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) has instructed its affiliates to maintain their current partners by continuing to provide good customer care services, ensure the high quality of their products, and deliver consignments on schedule, said the group’s director general Vu Duc Giang.

The group is now willing to accept orders for small amounts of goods and to meet international environmental standards, Mr Giang added.

In addition, Mr Giang suggested all possible efforts be made to lower production costs while maintaining a decent wage for workers.

The VINATEX leader also recommended that enterprises draw up necessary strategies to penetrate the Japanese market under the Vietnam-Japan economic partnership agreement and exploit potential markets such as China, South Africa and Russia.

The textile and garment sector has had to cut its output and export quotas in recent times, Mr Giang said. Its workforce has also been reduced by up to 100,000 people, he added. Many small- and medium-sized enterprises have not received sufficient orders in the first quarter; some have even temporarily stopped operating. Only a small number of ‘trademark’ businesses have successfully managed to secure enough orders for production to last from now until the end of April, he said.