Sourcing from Vietnam: The Complete Guide for Kiwi Businesses (2026)

Welcome back to the Epic Sourcing blog — your trusted guide to all things importing for New Zealand businesses.

If you've been watching global sourcing trends lately, you'll have noticed that Vietnam keeps coming up in the conversation. And for good reason. More and more Kiwi businesses are asking us about sourcing from Vietnam — particularly for clothing, footwear, resort wear, furniture, and electronics — and the interest is only growing.

NZ-Vietnam two-way trade hit NZD 2.68 billion in 2024, and both countries are targeting NZD 3 billion by 2026. That's a meaningful trading relationship, and one that Epic Sourcing is increasingly helping our clients tap into.

So, is Vietnam the right sourcing destination for your business? And if so, how do you actually go about it? Let's dive in.

Why Are Kiwi Businesses Looking at Vietnam?

1. The China+1 strategy is real. With US-China tariff tensions creating cost uncertainty, more global buyers are deliberately diversifying their supply chains. Vietnam is the most popular 'plus one' for good reason — it has established manufacturing infrastructure, a skilled workforce, and competitive pricing.
2. CPTPP trade agreement. Both New Zealand and Vietnam are members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This means reduced or zero tariffs on a wide range of goods — a genuine cost advantage over sourcing from non-member countries.
3. Strengths in the categories Kiwis actually want. Vietnam has a long and strong history in garments, textiles, footwear, furniture, and electronics assembly — among the most popular categories for NZ importers.
4. Competitive labour costs. While costs have risen in Vietnam (as they have in China), they remain competitive — especially for labour-intensive products like clothing and handcrafted goods.
5. Improving quality standards. Vietnam's manufacturing sector has matured significantly. Many factories now meet international quality certifications and have experience supplying global brands.

What Products Source Well from Vietnam?

1. Garments, textiles & apparel — Vietnam is one of the world's top garment exporters. Activewear, resort wear, casualwear, leggings, athleisure — if it's sewn, Vietnam is likely making it well.
2. Footwear — Another Vietnamese manufacturing strength. From casual sneakers to sandals, footwear quality and variety are excellent.
3. Furniture & home goods — Vietnam has a thriving furniture manufacturing sector, particularly for timber and rattan products. If you're in the home décor or hospitality space, this is worth exploring.
4. Electronics & components — Major brands like Samsung and Intel have significant manufacturing operations in Vietnam. Smaller electronics and tech accessories are also well made here.
5. Seafood — If you're in food importing, Vietnamese seafood (prawns, fish, shellfish) is world-class and competitively priced.

Vietnam vs China: Which is Right for Your Business?

Sourcing is akin to dating — you're looking for that perfect match. Vietnam and China both bring different things to the table.

China might be better if: you need a very wide product range from a single source, you're ordering highly technical products, you need rapid prototyping, or you need very high volume at the lowest possible per-unit cost.

Vietnam might be better if: you're sourcing apparel, footwear, or furniture; you want to diversify supply chain risk; CPTPP tariff benefits matter for your margins; or you're sourcing handcrafted or artisan-style goods.

Many of our clients actually source from both — using China for certain product types and Vietnam for others. This is what the 'China+1' strategy looks like in practice for NZ importers.

Sourcing Hack #3: Don't switch suppliers just because of a trend — do a landed cost comparison first. Before moving sourcing from China to Vietnam, run a proper landed cost analysis: factory price + freight + duties + compliance costs. Sometimes the CPTPP tariff saving is offset by higher factory prices or longer lead times. Epic Sourcing can help you run this analysis.

The Practical Reality: What to Expect When Sourcing from Vietnam

1. Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs). Vietnamese factories tend to have MOQs in a similar range to Chinese factories for apparel — typically 300–500 pieces per style for clothing.
2. Lead times. Expect 60–90 days from order to delivery for most manufactured goods, including shipping time to NZ.
3. Language and communication. English is widely spoken in Vietnamese factories that deal with international buyers, but having an on-the-ground agent is invaluable.
4. Quality control. As with any sourcing destination, QC is essential. Don't skip pre-shipment inspections, especially when working with a factory for the first time.
5. Supplier vetting. There are excellent factories in Vietnam and there are dodgy ones. The same due diligence you'd apply to a Chinese supplier applies here.

Key Manufacturing Hubs to Know

1. Ho Chi Minh City & surrounding provinces — The manufacturing heartland of southern Vietnam. Textiles, garments, electronics, and consumer goods are heavily concentrated here.
2. Hanoi & northern provinces — Strong in electronics manufacturing (Samsung's main Vietnam plants are here).
3. Binh Duong province — Major industrial zones just north of HCMC, strong in furniture and industrial goods.

Sourcing Hack #4: For apparel sourcing in Vietnam, focus your search in the HCMC corridor. Most established garment factories export from Ho Chi Minh City — filter your supplier search to this region first for the best concentration of experienced exporters.

How to Get Started Sourcing from Vietnam

1. Define exactly what you want. Product type, specifications, target price, order quantity, and timeline.
2. Research and identify potential suppliers. Use B2B platforms like Alibaba (Vietnamese suppliers are on there) or Made-in-Vietnam.com.
3. Vet your shortlist carefully. Request samples, check certifications, look for references from other international buyers.
4. Start with a trial order. Before committing to a large order, run a smaller trial to verify quality, lead times, and communication.
5. Get proper QC and logistics in place. Use a third-party inspection service for pre-shipment checks.

How Epic Sourcing Can Help

At Epic Sourcing NZ, we've been expanding our Vietnam sourcing capabilities alongside growing demand from our clients. Whether you're looking to source resort wear, activewear, furniture, or footwear from Vietnam, we can help you identify and vet qualified Vietnamese manufacturers, manage the entire sourcing process, navigate CPTPP requirements, and handle quality control.

Vietnam is a genuinely exciting sourcing opportunity for Kiwi businesses, and we're stoked to be helping more of our clients explore it. Get in touch with the Epic Sourcing NZ team today for a free chat about whether Vietnam sourcing makes sense for your product.