Vietnam has become a leading global exporter of furniture products. The country’s value-added wood product industry is far outpacing the growth of the domestic wood supply. This, coupled with declining availability of traditional hardwoods and a growing preference for certified, sustainable wood, presents an emerging opportunity for BC softwood products.
FII began exploring opportunities for BC species in the Vietnam furniture manufacturing segment in 2017. Activities focused on identifying key players in the supply chain and providing small quantities of Canadian softwood species for manufacturers to try the products. Early-stage efforts indicated positive signs that BC species have the potential to capture good returns in furniture applications.
In 2022, operations were expanded, and a formal FII Vietnam office was established to advance promotional and outreach activities and build the demand for, and awareness of, Canadian wood products.
Under the Canadian Wood brand, FII uses trade shows to promote B.C.’s forest practices and wood products, and to connect directly with Vietnam’s manufacturing and furniture sector. Each year FII’s booth is updated to reflect top-of-mind issues, such as those related to forest product certification, or wood quality.
At the 2023 VietnamWood show, the booth featured 153 hemlock panels placed upright to create a captivating forest-like scene, emanating wood’s natural warmth, beauty and sustainability.
For this year’s 2024 HAWA and VIFA Expos, the booth included a colour wall. Similar to a colour-coordinated bookshelf, the wall displayed B.C. coastal species stained in various shades using the same coatings used by Vietnamese furniture manufacturers. This approach reinforced the diversity of B.C. species and how they can easily be used to replace some hardwoods often used by furniture makers.
To further reinforce the ability of B.C. species to meet local needs, samples of locally manufactured furniture were featured in each booth. These showcased western hemlock, Douglas-fir, western red cedar and yellow cedar. Sample racks of lumber rounded out the displays.
Each booth was visited by several hundred industry professionals, including furniture manufacturers, lumber importers/distributors, local architects, designers, builders, real estate developers, contractors, universities, and government/trade associations. These connections often led to product trial requests. During each trade show, FII leveraged the profile of the booth with networking events and outreach to local news media.
To pursue further opportunities for the B.C. forest sector in Vietnam’s fast-growing furniture market, FII Vietnam has opened a new office in Binh Duong (45 minutes from Ho Chi Minh City), the centre of the country’s wood manufacturing sector. The office is outfitted with furniture and panelling made in Vietnam, primarily from western hemlock and S-P-F, both of which have proven to garner commercial appeal in the market.
The new office showcases the beauty, quality and practicality of products manufactured locally from B.C. species. This is allowing FII Vietnam to build additional inroads with manufacturers and suppliers in a key manufacturing hub, and to position B.C. wood species as a preferable alternative to the wood products currently used. Since completion of the office, FII Vietnam has already hosted meetings with several influential manufacturers in the new space, who voiced positive feedback of the interior fit outs and have expressed interest in future Canadian wood trials. Professional images of the office are being used in marketing materials to showcase the B.C. wood products and the range of applications.
In 2023, global imports of wooden furniture from Vietnam reached CAD $13.6 billion. This represents a decrease from $16.8 billion in 2022, likely due to a slowdown in the global economy. However, Vietnam’s furniture exports have shown steady growth over the past decade, solidifying its position as the world’s second largest exporter of wooden furniture, behind China.
This growth means Vietnam has an increasing need for certified softwood lumber. To introduce B.C. softwood species, FII uses product trials—providing manufacturers with a small amount of wood to use and test in their product lines, education on the species and characteristics of the wood, and technical support on handling, machining, and finishing the wood. The result has been a positive uptake of B.C. wood use by manufacturers, as well as broader awareness across the wood in manufacturing sector of the many attributes of B.C. species.
As a wood manufacturing sector that has historically built with hardwood, Vietnamese stakeholders need education and training programs to introduce them to the many benefits of softwood and certified wood sources.
A wide range of topics are covered through seminars including an overview of B.C. species, sustainable forest practices, certification, and chain of custody in the B.C. forest industry. Training on how to properly use and handle B.C. species is also an important part of educational programming.
