How To Visit Manufacturers In Vietnam // Vietnam Sourcing Trips Guide
If you are looking at manufacturing or sourcing from Vietnam, you also may want to visit the country. For this reason, we’ve written a guide to visiting factories in Vietnam. We’ll cover everything from what to expect, how to get visas, planning essentials, and what else there is to the Vietnam experience.
Most clients like to visit and meet with several potential factories before deciding. Visiting a factory in Vietnam allows clients to make sure their factory choice is legit and form a relationship to get in touch quickly if anything goes wrong.
Should you travel to Vietnam to meet suppliers?
While it’s not required, we strongly encourage visiting Vietnam to meet factories, especially if you want to make a long-term relationship with a supplier. We strongly encourage clients to visit the production, get to know the team who will make the products, and understand how Vietnam works. Vietnam isn’t too different from other countries like China in terms of order, but it does help people get to know the culture.
When should you visit?
At what stage of production should you visit a factory? I think the best time is when you have selected a few suppliers before making a purchase order.
With Cosmo, one of our essential services is selecting factories for visits based on your needs, scheduling meetings, and facilitating transportation and interpreters. In addition, Cosmo positions itself as your team on the ground in Vietnam to handle all of your sourcing from overseas.
Many of our clients have traveled to Vietnam to meet with suppliers at different times in the manufacturing process. The first and most common is before they select a factory when they visit all the suitable factories we have found for them. This often takes a few days, and we’ll visit about 4-6 factories at a rate of 2-3 a day.
Many clients want to visit before or after production, but a standard inspection works well. I encourage visits fairly early to view the factory and get to know the management and the team. Once you meet the team and check out the production, you’ll have a better idea and proceed with the purchase order if you are comfortable.
How much do relationships matter?
If you have sourced or done business in China, then I am sure you are familiar with Guanxi. Guangxi is a network based on trust and respect. In China, it’s not about your language; if you say the right thing at the right time, you will always save face.
In Vietnam, however, there isn’t an equivalent concept. Visiting factories and discussing business is pretty casual and quite direct. This threw me off when I started doing business in Vietnam and is often something I need to help prepare my clients. I have noticed some clients may view the relaxed attitude as the factory not caring about their business, but I can assure you that this is not true.
Members of the Cosmo Team with a Client during a visit to a factory in Vietnam!
How to get a Vietnam Visa
Vietnam does require a visa to visit; however, the good news is that they are relatively easy to obtain. This guide is written with Americans in mind; however, the process is similar for Western countries. The Visa for Americans and most other countries is Visa on Arrival. Still, you must apply for an official invitation letter and bring a printed copy. You also need to pay the fees in cash using US Dollars.
Many people think they need a business visa; however, a tourist visa is acceptable for visiting factories. If you insist on having a business visa, let us know, and we can arrange an invitation letter for you on your behalf. There are no guarantees, as obtaining a business visa can get tricky, and we are only authorized to write a set number of invitations a year.
This is the official guide from Vietnam’s Government: https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/
This section will summarize the above links. There are four steps to getting a tourist visa.
Step 1: fill out the form on the website with all relevant information.
Step 2: Pay
Please note that you have to pay TWICE. Once online, after filling out the form, which can be done with a credit card and a second stamping fee, to be paid in USD Cash. Also, Americans have to pay three times more than any other country.
Step 3a: Print out the approval letter.
After applying on the website, the approval letter will be sent as a PDF by Email. You must have a physical copy when you arrive.
Step 3b: Bring two 4cm x 6 cm passport photos
Step 4: Get your Visa at the airport.
Waiting to get your Visa can take anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour. Be prepared to head to the visa processing area before going through customs.
Areas with large amounts of Factories are circled.
Where are the factories?
Most factories are outside Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Danang. Most Manufacturing in Vietnam happens around Ho Chi Minh City, in the smaller surrounding cities. There isn’t much manufacturing within the Ho Chi Minh City limits, and the most popular cities are Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Long Anh. All of these are 30 minutes to 2 hours from the center of Ho Chi Minh, and you can visit a factory in half a day.
How to get around
Around Vietnam, local Vina Sun taxis and Grabs are plentiful and easy to come by. However, walking on foot can be challenging as the sidewalks are uneven and nonexistent. Also, crossing the street is a real-life game of Frogger. That being said, District 1, the city center and where you’ll find many tourist attractions, is relatively compact and easily explored on foot. Just don’t underestimate the tropical heat!
If you want to go to factories, your best bet is to hire a car and driver. We strongly recommend driving in Vietnam as traffic is chaotic, and the roads are overrun with scooters. Scooters rule the roads, road signs and laws are more suggestions, and the traffic flow does not follow logic. In addition, cars are large and don’t often have the right of way. Fortunately, a car and driver are reasonable, and many options exist.
Mazda 3 (or similar), which can hold four passengers, costs about 40-50 USD for 12 hours.
Kia Sedona Minivan (or similar) for six passengers costs 60-80 USD for 12 hours.
A large van for ten or so passengers costs about 100 USD for 12 hours
Mostly, you pay for the time and up to an agreed-upon distance, usually 100-200 KM, and you must pay extra for longer times or distances.
Cosmo has contracts with many drivers and car services, and you can shop around for the best rate without sacrificing quality or safety.
If you are more adventurous, you can rent a motorcycle, which I often do, but I do not recommend it to first-time visitors. Vietnam has a very high amount of traffic fatalities, so be careful.
Where To Stay In Ho Chi Minh?
Most clients stay at just two hotels: the Marriott Renaissance Riverside or Le Meridian. Both hotels are located in District 1, along the riverfront, and in the heart of downtown. These are good options if you want Western comforts in the middle of it all. If you are like me, you can be paid with points. There are several other major hotels in Ho Chi Minh City. Most importantly, it would help to look at hotels in District 1 or District 3, as those are the closest to downtown.
Marriott Renaissance Riverside
This and the Le Meridian are the most popular options for our clients visiting Ho Chi Minh City. These two hotels are located on the riverfront in the heart of downtown and offer standard, albeit nice, business amenities. This choice is great if you want some Western comforts.
Le-Meridian
Le Meridian is effectively the same in terms of quality and expectations. Modern rooms and a buffet-style breakfast are to be expected.
Hotel Majestic Saigon
This downtown hotel is a little outdated, but it became famous during the Vietnam War as it was where all the significant journalists stayed. The hotel was built in the 1920s during French colonialism and maintained an authentic art nuevo flair.
Villa Song
Villa Song is a small boutique hotel on the riverfront in the Thao Dien Neighborhood, a popular part of town for ex-pats and business professionals. This small boutique hotel can provide a more tranquil environment for those looking to escape the chaos of downtown and feel like they are on vacation. You will be closer to factories, but further from the main tourist action.
Airbnb
Many people, myself included, like to travel with a more home-like feel. Airbnb is very popular here, with apartments of all types throughout the city. As we stay longer, we typically try to book two-bedroom places in quiet neighborhoods.
What to eat?
Many people find that Vietnamese food is a big highlight of their visit to Vietnam. It would be best if you planned to try some of the local dishes that are cheap, fresh, and flavorful. Some of our favorites include:
Pho: The famous noodle soup the country is known for
Banh Mi: Vietnamese-style sandwich–usually a combo of meats, pickled vegetables, chili, and pate on a fresh baguette.
Bun Thit Nuong: Vermicelli noodles topped with a slice of smoky and well-marinated pork plus herbs and sauce.
Com Tam: A simple, cheap rice dish with grilled meat, a fried egg, and veggies
Ban Xeo: Savory Vietnamese pancake
Me eating Bun Thit Nuong and a coconut
My Wife is enjoying Banh Xeo.
Booking a food tour will be a great activity if you have the time. This way, a local person can guide you through Vietnamese cuisine and recommend dishes. For many food suggestions and pictures, check out our blog post: https://www.havewifiwilltravel.com/posts/2019/10/21/best-vietnamese-food.
Don’t forget to enjoy Vietnam!
Factories love it when you dip your toes into Vietnamese culture. One of the first things they’ll ask you is what you have seen, done, or, more importantly, what dishes you have tried. Make sure you have a great response or talk about some of the more exotic dishes. If you don’t, you may come across as dull. I’ve been in Vietnam for over five years and still am fascinated by the culture and food.
If possible, I always encourage clients to add a few days to their trip to experience Ho Chi Minh and the rest of Vietnam. It’s a city with a unique feel and does take some getting used to. If you’re forming an important business relationship, you owe yourself to try to experience and learn more about the culture.
Let Cosmo Sourcing plan your trip.
One of Cosmo’s core services in Vietnam is factory introductions and trip planning. With this service, we will take your product, find you great suppliers, and then introduce you to the factories by email or in person.
This service lets clients control their supply chain without any middleman. Cosmo prides itself on transparency and can handle as much or as little of finding a supplier, overseas production, and shipping it to its final destination. We work with you or for you.
Cosmo Sourcing // Your Trusted Partner In Vietnam
Please email us at info@cosmosourcing.com
If you want to source from Vietnam, contact the Cosmo Sourcing team; we have been helping clients source from Vietnam since 2014. Cosmo Sourcing has the skills and the team to find you the best supplier possible. We are also established in China and are among the only companies that can find suppliers in China and Vietnam. Pick the one you think is best.
Our Vietnam Sourcing services allow you to access new manufacturers that you would not be able to in China and avoid Tariffs. Our services are designed to do everything to take your idea, turn it into a product, and ship it to the final destination. Cosmo can do everything from creating a product spec sheet to validating, sourcing, ordering, evaluating samples, arranging inspections, finding freight forwarders, quality assurance, negotiations, and shipping. We aim to handle every single step of your business in Vietnam for you.
If you start a new business, finding products and suppliers for your products is one of many things you need to handle. Our services are designed to handle every part of your business in China and Vietnam so you can focus on the rest of growing your own business.
We have helped clients from Fortune 500 companies, brick-and-mortar stores, FBA sellers, and brand-new businesses. So don’t hesitate to contact us and let us know how we can help you.