📈 Vietnam’s Trade Strategy: Lessons for Sri Lanka’s Apparel Sector

A report by the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) highlights how Vietnam’s aggressive trade policy serves as a blueprint for Sri Lanka to boost export competitiveness and global integration. • Performance Gap (15-Year Growth): • Vietnam: Apparel exports surged ~250% from US$ 13 Bn to US$ 45 Bn. • Sri Lanka: Apparel exports grew ~58% from US$ 3.4 Bn to US$ 5.4 Bn. • Vietnam’s 2025 projection: US$ 46 Bn exports with a US$ 21 Bn trade surplus. • Trade Openness & Agreements: • Vietnam’s trade-to-GDP ratio hit 184% (2022), supported by 19 FTAs covering 60 economies (CPTPP, EVFTA, RCEP). • Sri Lanka’s trade openness remains low at 50%–55%, reflecting a more inward-looking model. • Both nations send ~40% of apparel & textiles to the US, but Sri Lanka lacks Vietnam's extensive preferential access. • Strategic Takeaways: • Vietnam utilizes a centrally managed, technically driven negotiation framework with deputy-minister-level leads. • Sri Lanka needs a dedicated institutional mechanism for FTAs to attract strategic investments and diversify markets. • Success requires aligning trade policy with investment readiness, infrastructure, and sustainability standards. • Economic Impact: Sri Lanka's apparel sector remains a vital pillar, earning ~US$ 5 Bn annually and providing employment for 350,000 people, but future growth depends on deeper global value chain integration.