While industry stakeholders are looking forward to seeing how apparel trade shapes up from March onwards amidst COVID-19 outspread, the import data of USA in Jan.-Feb. 2020 period is somehow predicting the future trend of trade, at least from Vietnam’s perspective.
The second largest garment exporter to USA shipped US $ 2.38 billion worth of garments in the first 2-month period of 2020, noting 3.50 per cent growth on Y-o-Y basis. However, volume of apparels fell by 1.15 per cent and shipment stood at 728 million SME.
The major product categories of Vietnam – T-shirt and trouser – that go in the USA were down in volume-wise shipment by 7.
94 per cent and 3.02 per cent, respectively. However, shipment of trousers from Vietnam to USA worth US $ 650.78 million escalated by 4 per cent in value terms and the same in case of T-shirts (worth US $ 597 million) fell by 2.
14 per cent on the yearly note.
Kidswear remained a positive export category both in values and volumes.
Vietnam exported 2.17 million kg of kidswear to USA in the mentioned period and noted 5.
92 per cent growth; while value-wise, Vietnam clocked US $ 51.84 million revenue, which is 11.16 per cent higher than the same period of the prior year.
Markedly, in these three products –T-shirts, trousers and kidswear – Vietnam surpassed China in T-shirts and trousers export value due to China’s massive fall caused by Coronavirus outspread.


