How an Aussie Founder Became Mr. 'Made in Vietnam'

Vietnam's meteoric rise in the last two decades is no surprise. The country is fast becoming a global manufacturing hub.

I met Tom Daniels, the Co-Founder of Vietnam Sourcing Co.

Question 1

I heard you had an interesting journey in Vietnam. How did you go from Australia to Vietnam?

The move from Australia to Vietnam was an easy one to make, Vietnam has for a long time been a country in which I have been interested for its culture, people, food, natural beauty, growth potential and importantly its manufacturing capabilities.

My decision to move to Vietnam was more gradual made up of market research on various factors such as Vietnam’s political & economic landscape, legal & regulatory, manufacturing trends, and ease of doing business, but most importantly Vietnam’s manufacturing trends and forecasts were of particular interest.

After 7 years in the sourcing & custom manufacturing industry and from the background research I had done, I found Vietnam to be highly appealing and made the move to Danang, Vietnam.

Vietnam has been on our radar for quite some time given its manufacturing capabilities. We expanded from Guangzhou, China to Vietnam to offer our existing customers the ability to diversify their supply chain and capitalise on Vietnam’s manufacturing, we now offer that same service to a wider network of brands and companies.

The process involved in getting our business registered and established here as a wholly foreign-owned entity was difficult, however, we were lucky enough to hire some great people including our office manager Kady who made the process easier. We now hire a team of extremely capable staff who are great at what they do and make a tremendous difference to our customer’s supply chain requirements.

Question 2

Tell us about the real vibe on the ground in Vietnam. Change, no change? Trends? Future?

Vietnam is an exciting country where the streets come alive at night. While the rest of the world sleeps, Vietnamese gather to enjoy street food, snacks, and drinks. Although Vietnamese are deeply family-oriented and generally prefer home-cooked meals they also make time to enjoy the cool night breeze and the abundance of street food vendors.

This same cultural value extends to the importance of home-cooked meals and eating together as a family or community. The Vietnamese have a great sense of work/ life balance which is a credit to the Vietnamese way of life.

I believe the importance of family and food will only grow stronger. The Vietnamese have a deep appreciation for the best produce and diverse food options.

This same excitement extends to Vietnam’s manufacturing capabilities. The talent pool in Vietnam is also very impressive, the work ethic and capabilities of the talent and our staff are amazing.

Leveraging its proximity to China and learning from China’s years of perfecting manufacturing processes and supply chains, Vietnam has the potential to grow into a viable option for companies wanting to manufacture in Asia.

I feel we are at the beginning of an exciting future for Vietnam manufacturing.

Question 3

Tell us about the Top 3 customer pain points you are trying to solve in Sourcing/Manufacturing.

Key benefits of working with Vietnam Sourcing:

• Peace of mind: A trusted supply chain partner to give our customers more peace of mind when manufacturing in Vietnam.

• On the ground: Our “on the ground”, English-speaking team negotiates prices & terms with our customer’s best interests in mind.

• Quality: Our team ensure quality at every stage of the supply chain by implementing various quality control measures

Some pain points our customers face when manufacturing in Vietnam:

1. Production lead times are somewhat longer here in Vietnam when compared with other parts of Asia, at around 30 – 60 days. As a team, we identify and work with our customers and factories to improve efficiency in the supply chain and reduce production lead times.

2. Minimum order quantities (MOQ’s) are higher here in Vietnam when compared to China or other parts of Asia. As such, our Vietnam Sourcing team negotiate these order volumes with our manufacturing partners while leveraging other orders from factories to afford our customers better offers.

3. Communication may be difficult for a non-Vietnamese speaker but by working with Vietnam Sourcing and our “on the ground”, English-speaking team we improve communications channels while ensuring nothing gets lost in translation.

Question 4

What is ONE myth that you want to break or do you feel misunderstood in your world?

It’s important to keep in mind quality when negotiating or requesting better pricing. There are various ways to save costs in everything that is manufactured, from the raw materials used through to the workmanship. As a team, we ensure our customers are happy with the “golden sample” before we negotiate further on price, this ensures we are purely negotiating on price and not quality.

Question 5

How can people reach out to you?

We now offer our sourcing & supply chain services to our wider network and can be reached by anyone needing our services at the following:

Email: [email protected]
Website: www.vietnamsourcing.co
Socials: Vietnamsourcing.co

I am also happy to help with any personal questions about Vietnam. My personal email is [email protected]

I strive to share the best local stories through those who are on the ground in Asia, doing the hard yard and making things happen.

If you have an interesting story that you want to share, please feel free to reach out!

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