Accepting competition rules to develop as joining FTA

Proactive integration and open, diversified, multilateral diplomatic policies of the Party, State have created favorable conditions for economic sectors to develop. Along with advantages from free trade agreements (FTAs), business managers are also ready to accept competition rules to develop right at domestic market and overcome barriers to join the equal game on international market.

Innovating thinking, changing habits

That was the request of Minister of Trade Truong Dinh Tuyen while discussing with business managers in the province more than 10 years ago. He ended the conversation with a story: “The flat world will tiny guys to rise and become giants, if they could capture and forecast well information with a sharp mind. Conversely, dignifying experiences, slow change in thinking and practices would make giants disappear after one night. This indicates that when the market changes, businesses must also change and expand to integrate and develop”.

Production activities at Protrade Garment JSC

In last November, Ton Dong A JSC inaugurated the most modern plant in Asia with an investment of $150 million. CEO Nguyen Thanh Trung said, international integration required “healthy” and “cultural” products to establish themselves in domestic market, then reach out to the world. As integrating, we must comply with competition rules to develop, rather than ban new rules to protect ourselves. To achieve this, companies must have the vision and advance preparation”.

Mr. Trung also said that due to international integration, investors contributed capital and technology to create jobs, enhance production and management. Since then, domestic companies, labors have opportunities to acquire and keep pace with the new era…

Overcoming barriers to mature

According to Do Thi Kim Loan, CEO of Sao Nam Company (Nam Tan Uyen industrial park), joining FTAs, especially the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), were great efforts of the Party and State to bring our economy closer to the world economy, opening up enormous opportunities for domestic business community. This is a joy, pride to the business community.

In fact, to penetrate potential markets, companies must firstly identify appropriate segments to set up strategies. In addition to requirements for products quality, design, safety, and convenience, delivering time, planning, production environment, incentives for employees, record keeping, goods origin… must be clear and transparent.

After 5 years of exporting products to USA market, Ms. Loan learned that in order to stand firmly in the US market, we have to be very serious in production and quality. The most important thing is to be highly responsible for our products and to respect consumers.

Changing unchangeable things

Agriculture is one vulnerable field in the integration process. Nguyen Van Anh, Chief of Chanh Phu Hoa ward Swine breeding club (Ben Cat town), said: “To motivate members, we point out their difficulties, limitations as well as farmer’s constraints: farmers are not able to decide selling prices, must depend on the market. Farmers tend to save as much as possible costs and choose easy things. For example, farmers usually skip vaccinations for animal when there is no epidemic. This is a huge mistake in breeding, because epidemics can lead to a dead loss”.

According to experts, in business, we cannot wait for unchangeable things but should focus on what we can do. For example, Suoi Giai Plantation (Phu Giao district) under Binh Duong Sugar JSC replaced existing low-yielding sugarcane by a better variety transferred by Sugar II Corporation. Additionally, the company developed high yielding dairy-cow herds and applied Israeli breeding technologies in order to create jobs, increase incomes of rural people.

Nguyen Thanh Trung, CEO of Binh Duong Sugar JSC, said implementing provincial project on Agriculture with high-tech applications associated with the National target program on new rural construction, his company had realized dairy-cow breeding project with Israeli technology adjusted to agree with local people’s conditions but still guarantee requirements of rigorous scientific process.

International integration is a big chance that the Party and State have persistently pursued to bring about favorable conditions for all economic sectors to promote their potentialities, utilize external forces for development. Experts said, the road to success was not often laid with beautiful flowers and honey.

Reported by D.Chi – Translated by Ngoc Huynh