The PM was speaking at a meeting with representatives of nearly 100 domestic enterprises who earned the top honour of 2018 in Hanoi on December 20.
‘National brand’ products represent Vietnam as a country, which means they must be able to capture the international recognition. Failure to do so would impede our efforts integrating into the global economy, he said.
He said the ardent patriotism was one decisive factor in the making of “valuable brands and the products’ competitiveness in both domestic and global markets alike.”
    |
 |
|
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and delegates in a group photo |
Cherishing and upholding the ‘national brands’ also constitutes a gesture of respect for the country, he said.
PM Phuc reiterated that “the health of enterprises is equivalent to the health of the economy” and that the strength of the brands is the most important measure to gauge this.
He also expressed his optimism at the capacity of Vietnamese enterprises, saying the annual list of national brand products is important but still “a relative frame of reference.”
“I trust there are many more other outstanding brands with huge potential but their true worth has not been recognised by the program or the customers,” the Government leader said.
He also told businesses to be “consistent” with the offerings, avoiding a decline in quality in the future, which he deemed “a notable weakness.”
Referring to a complaint that Vietnamese customers’ preferences are heavily skewered towards foreign products, the leader urged businesses to do serious “soul-searching” to see whether their offerings and services have been good enough, urging businesses to pay more attention to the domestic market.
The event honoring the 97 enterprises attaining the ‘national brand’ titles was the sixth edition of the program that was first launched in 2008. Last year, 91 enterprises gained the titles.
In 2017, total revenue of the honored 97 firms reached VND 924 trillion (USD 40.8 billion), an increase of 28 percent on 2015’s figure. They contributed VND 63 trillion to the State budget, 19.3 percent higher than that of 2015.
Source: VNA