Rubber Gloves Manufacturing Industry in Vietnam (February 2020)

41 pages. Vietnam experienced a strong growth in its export of rubber gloves. In the last five years, it surpassed the Netherlands and United States to be the 8th largest exporter of rubber gloves in 2018 with export worth USD 147 million or more than 3 billion pairs. Global analysts are expecting Vietnam to benefit from the ongoing US China trade war in both ways, global trade expansion and expansion of its domestic production. The high tariffs imposed on almost all goods from China would not only lead the US glove buyers to alternative sources but also drive manufacturers in China to relocate their production bases to Southeast Asia, preferably Vietnam. A cost competitiveness study carried out by MREPC in 2017 found Vietnam to be highly competitive in terms of manufacturing costs of rubber gloves. The costs comparison was made against the average size manufacturers of rubber gloves in Malaysia and in other major producing countries Vietnam had cost advantage in terms of labour, raw materials and utilities. The cost advantage that Vietnam acquires, alongside its abundance of raw material, are great aid to boost the local glove industry. The plunge in Vietnam imports of rubber gloves in 2019 further raises a red flag among its glove exporting peers in the region. This report examines the progress of the rubber gloves manufacturing industry in Vietnam in terms of manufacturing capacities and processes, products, technologies, as well as production capabilities. It also forecasts the future growth in production of rubber gloves in the country. MREPC welcomes suggestions and feedback from Malaysian exporters in making this and similar reports more useful and relevant in the future.