Vietnam exports nearly 416 million face masks

• 2,000 face shields presented to Immigration Department
• 10,000 face masks donated to Thai Consulate General in HCM City

Between April 1 and 19 there were 88.19 million face masks worth 344 million USD exported, including 51.3 million that were gifts and donations.

Japan was the biggest importer of made-in-Vietnam face masks in the period, with 32.7 million, followed by the Republic of Korea, Germany, and the US, with 17.1 million, 11.1 million, and 10.4 million, respectively.

In early April, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approved the export of medical face masks and protective clothing, as long as domestic demand, including reserves, is met first.

Such products can therefore only be exported to countries that have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Health's figures showed that there are some 68 companies producing medical face masks and protective clothing in Vietnam. Some garment companies are also investing in producing medical face masks, besides cloth face masks, such as the Garment 10 Corporation Joint Stock Company and TNG Investment and Trading Joint Stock Company.

The Vietnam Trade Office in the EU has warned that the mass production of medical face masks and protective clothing that do not follow technical standards will cause oversupply and damage if such products cannot be exported.

It added that in order for producers to export medical face masks and protective medical clothing to the EU, a CE marking is compulsory, which indicates that a product had been assessed by manufacturers and deemed to meet EU safety, health, and environmental protection requirements.

Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Import-Export Department, urged face mask producers to pay attention to quality and safety requirements and obtain the necessary certificates for export.