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Aug 21, 2026
Today, bringing Vietnamese products to the international market isn’t as easy as many million-dollar-income promises suggest. For Vietnamese goods to reach the global ocean, it’s important to have a deep, realistic view of the international market, including pricing, service, and — most importantly — a methodical, persistent brand-building strategy that earns customer trust.
The international market, especially major e-commerce platforms like Amazon, is considered an extremely tough battlefield. Flowery talk about selling Vietnamese goods and quickly earning US dollars often comes from people who lack real-world experience, creating a lot of illusions for newcomers or small businesses. This leads to a misjudgment of the true level of competition and risk involved in entering the international market.
For manufacturers or factory owners still full of enthusiasm, before deciding to push exports through channels like Amazon, Shopee, Lazada, or Tiki, it’s important to clearly recognize that Amazon is many times harder than domestic e-commerce platforms. When a product sits in inventory in the Vietnamese market, a business can liquidate it or sell it directly; however, once goods have been exported to the US and don’t sell, the chance of successful liquidation is very low — usually only about 20% — and the liquidation price can be far below cost.
In reality, shipments handled through liquidation-specialist websites are usually sold at very low prices, leading to the risk of a total loss on the goods. Sea freight shipping costs can sometimes exceed the value of the order itself, making it very difficult to bring the product back to the country.
On pricing, Vietnamese businesses face fierce competition from Chinese suppliers, who have massive industrial-scale production with extremely low prices — arguably impossible to compete with. China’s supporting industries are also far more developed, with extremely competitive costs for packaging and components.
On product quality, since raw materials still largely need to be imported from China and manufacturing technology remains limited, achieving quality comparable to Chinese competitors is already a significant achievement for many Vietnamese businesses.
In terms of craftsmanship and technical level, although Vietnam has a 4,000-year cultural history, historical events such as war, destruction of records, and shifting production policies have significantly affected technical skill and professional experience in manufacturing industries. As a result, the craftsmanship of Vietnamese workers today can’t yet be compared on equal footing with countries more developed in manufacturing technology.
This reality poses a major challenge for businesses wanting to export products to international markets, where quality and consistency standards are extremely strict.
Another important point is the difference in taste and awareness among consumers in different countries. Products that sell well in the Vietnamese market do so because they were designed and developed based on an understanding of domestic customers; meanwhile, when exporting, a product must meet entirely different requirements from international consumers.
So the preferences, needs, and quality expectations of foreign customers buying Vietnamese goods are very different from domestic customers, requiring an appropriately tailored product and marketing strategy.
If a business has decided to step into the Amazon arena, the only effective approach is to build a strong brand. Instead of competing on low price, focus on developing high-quality products with appealing designs, invest methodically in marketing, and provide professional customer care. This helps build trust and overcome the barriers of the international market.
Building a brand is a long-term journey that requires resources and patience. Product design plays an extremely important role in this, since it’s the first thing that attracts customers and creates a lasting impression.
One real example shows the challenge in going international arising from an inaccurate assessment of product quality and customer service attitude. When in contact with a business specializing in tattoo-industry equipment, priced three times the market average, the products were assessed as premium, made of virgin plastic material with refined design. However, unprofessional customer care and negative responses from a company representative badly hurt the company’s reputation and cooperation opportunities.
Attitude and customer service are key factors in building a brand image in the eyes of international consumers. Overreacting or acting disrespectfully can cause a business to lose potential customers and reduce its competitiveness in the broader market.
These stories are valuable lessons for businesses in Vietnam to reflect on and prepare more carefully before stepping into the global business environment, where professionalism, quality, and a sustainable growth strategy always come first.
