Guides to Manufacturing in Vietnam
Written for brand owners and first-time importers with a product to make, and for the manufacturers on the other side of the same conversation.
These are the answers we would give you on a call, written down so you do not have to take one. Several of them argue against using a matching service when it is the wrong fit, which is the point: a guide that only ever leads to our form would not be worth reading.
Start here
- New to thisWhat a turnkey contract covers
- Getting quotesHow to write a brief a factory can quote
- Before you payWho owns the tooling
- Planning datesHow long an order really takes
Scope and process
What a turnkey contract covers, how a project actually runs, and how long each stage takes.
- Process
Oct 22, 2026Engineering Change Orders Mid-Production: How to Run Them
How to write, price, approve and phase in an engineering change order mid-production without losing a shipment or arguing about tooling and stock later.
- Process
Oct 15, 2026Die Casting in Vietnam: Aluminum and Zinc Parts for Products
How aluminum and zinc die casting work in Vietnam, typical wall thickness, tool life and finishing options, and the porosity questions to settle before ordering.
- Process
Sep 24, 2026OEM, ODM or Turnkey: Which Arrangement You Actually Need
What OEM, ODM, contract manufacturing and turnkey really mean, who owns the design and tooling in each, and how to pick the one that fits your project.
- Process
Sep 21, 2026What Turnkey Manufacturing Includes: A Buyer's Checklist
A stage by stage breakdown of what turnkey manufacturing includes, what it quietly leaves out, and the lines to write into the contract before tooling is cut.
- Process
Sep 6, 2026Planning Production Around Tet in Vietnam
Why Vietnamese factory output drops for weeks around Lunar New Year, how far ahead to place orders, and the four planning moves that keep a launch date safe.
- Process
Aug 22, 2026The Pilot Run and the Golden Sample, Step by Step
What a pilot run produces, how to approve a golden sample properly, what to write on the approval, and why skipping this step turns every later dispute into an argument.
- Process
Aug 19, 2026Export Packaging for Vietnam Orders: What to Specify
Retail packaging, master cartons, labelling and artwork approval on a Vietnam order, why packaging causes so many late shipments, and what to put in the brief.
- Process
Aug 10, 2026How Long a Vietnam Manufacturing Order Really Takes
A week-by-week breakdown of a first production order in Vietnam, where the schedule actually slips, and how to work backwards from a fixed in-store date.
- Process
Aug 4, 2026What to Check on a Factory Visit in Vietnam
What to look at on a factory visit beyond the machines, the questions that reveal process control, and how to decide whether the trip is worth taking at all.
Cost and quantity
What moves a quote: tooling, order size, the bill of materials and the Incoterm you compare on.
- Cost
Oct 10, 2026Bill of Materials for a Turnkey Order: Cost by Line Item
What a bill of materials holds on a turnkey order from Vietnam, how cost splits across material, labor, tooling and packing and how to check a factory BOM.
- Cost
Sep 21, 2026Turnkey Manufacturing Cost in Vietnam: What Drives the Number
The six things that move a turnkey quote in Vietnam, why two quotes for the same product land far apart, and how to make quotes comparable before you choose.
- Cost
Sep 18, 2026Minimum Order Quantity in Vietnam, by Product Type
Typical MOQ ranges in Vietnam by product category, what actually sets the floor on a first order, and the four ways buyers get a factory to run less.
- Cost
Sep 15, 2026Injection Mold Tooling Cost in Vietnam: What to Budget
What drives injection mold tooling cost in Vietnam, how cavity count and tool life change the quote, and the five questions that make two tooling quotes comparable.
- Cost
Sep 3, 2026EXW, FOB or DDP: Choosing Incoterms for a Vietnam Order
What EXW, FOB and DDP actually transfer on a Vietnam order, why quotes on different terms cannot be compared, and which term suits a first-time importer.
Choosing and working with a manufacturer
How to write a brief, what to agree before a deposit, and how to judge the factory in front of you.
- Sourcing
Oct 6, 2026Bags and Luggage Manufacturing in Vietnam: What It Covers
How bags and luggage are made in Vietnam: fabrics, hardware, frames and shells, typical minimums, strength tests and how to brief a factory for a turnkey order.
- Sourcing
Sep 24, 2026Consumer Hardware Manufacturing in Vietnam: What to Expect
What Vietnam does well for assembled consumer products, where the electronics supply chain is thin, and how to structure a hardware project so the gaps do not bite.
- Sourcing
Sep 24, 2026Private Label Manufacturing in Vietnam: How It Works
The difference between private label, OEM and full custom production in Vietnam, what you actually control in each, and how to avoid buying a product anyone can copy.
- Sourcing
Sep 24, 2026Turnkey Furniture Manufacturing in Vietnam: A Buyer's Guide
What Vietnamese furniture factories do well, how timber supply and certification work, realistic MOQs and lead times, and what belongs in a furniture project brief.
- Sourcing
Sep 21, 2026How to Write a Manufacturing Brief a Factory Can Quote
The nine lines a manufacturer needs before it can quote your product, what to attach, and the common gaps that turn a brief into a week of back and forth email.
- Sourcing
Sep 21, 2026Who Owns the Tooling? The Clause to Settle Before You Pay
Paying for a mold does not mean you can collect it. The three clauses that settle tooling ownership, storage and release, and what to do when they are missing.
- Sourcing
Aug 28, 2026Vietnam or China: An Honest Comparison for Product Buyers
A straight comparison of Vietnam and China for product manufacturing: supply chain depth, tooling, MOQ, engineering support and the categories where each one wins.
- Sourcing
Aug 25, 2026Payment Terms with Vietnamese Factories: What Is Normal
Standard deposit and balance structures, how to tie payments to milestones, when a letter of credit is worth it, and the terms that should make you walk away.
- Sourcing
Aug 13, 2026Vietnam Manufacturing Regions: Where Your Product Gets Made
How Vietnam splits by industry and region, which ports serve which factories, why the north and south differ for electronics and furniture, and what it means for you.
- Sourcing
Aug 7, 2026Ten Mistakes First-Time Importers Make in Vietnam
The ten failures that turn a first Vietnam order into an expensive lesson, why each one happens, and the single line in the brief or contract that prevents it.
Quality, compliance and risk
Audits, inspection standards, origin rules and protecting a design you are handing to someone else.
- Compliance
Oct 25, 2026Food Contact Materials: FDA and LFGB Testing for VN Goods
What FDA and LFGB testing mean for kitchenware and food packaging made in Vietnam, which tests to order, who pays and how to read a food contact test report.
- Compliance
Oct 18, 2026During Production Inspection: What a DUPRO Catches Early
What a during production inspection (DUPRO) checks, when to book it, how it differs from a final inspection and how to act on the result in time.
- Compliance
Sep 24, 2026How to Verify a Vietnamese Supplier Before You Pay
A practical verification sequence for a Vietnamese supplier: company records, export history, the trading company test, and the checks worth paying for before a deposit.
- Compliance
Sep 12, 2026Factory Audit in Vietnam: When to Run One and What It Checks
What a Vietnam factory audit actually checks, how it differs from a product inspection, when in the project to run it, and how to read the report you get back.
- Compliance
Sep 9, 2026AQL Inspection Levels Explained for Product Buyers
What AQL means on an inspection report, how sample size and accept numbers are set, which inspection points matter, and how to write the standard into your order.
- Compliance
Aug 31, 2026Certificates of Origin for Goods Manufactured in Vietnam
What a certificate of origin does, which form applies to which market, how substantial transformation is judged, and why transshipment arrangements are a serious risk.
- Compliance
Aug 16, 2026Protecting Your Product Design When Manufacturing in Vietnam
What an NDA does and does not do, why registration matters more than paperwork, how tooling ownership protects a design, and how to split work between suppliers.
For Vietnamese manufacturers
The other side of the same conversation: what Western buyers are judging, why quotes get ignored and what export ready actually means.
- Manufacturers
Sep 23, 2026How to Answer an RFQ From a Foreign Buyer, Properly
A step by step method for answering an RFQ from a Western buyer: what to check first, which questions to ask, what to send back and when to decline.
- Manufacturers
Sep 23, 2026What Export Ready Actually Means for a Vietnamese Factory
A practical checklist of what export ready means beyond certificates: documentation, traceability, communication, packaging and the systems buyers quietly test.
- Manufacturers
Sep 23, 2026How Western Buyers Actually Choose a Vietnamese Factory
What foreign buyers actually assess when they shortlist a Vietnamese factory, in what order, and the signals that quietly remove a factory from the list.
- Manufacturers
Sep 23, 2026Pricing for Export Customers: What to Include and Leave Out
How to build an export price a foreign buyer can compare: what belongs in the unit price, what belongs on its own line, and the costs factories routinely forget.
- Manufacturers
Sep 23, 2026Why Your Quotation Gets Ignored by Foreign Buyers
The seven reasons a Vietnamese factory's quotation gets no reply from a Western buyer, and how to write one that gets compared instead of discarded.
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