Garden Products: Key Sectors and Strengths
ET2C’s Vietnam Sourcing Team has already identified opportunities within the Vietnam Garden Products and Outdoor sector due to raw material availability and strong manufacturing capabilities. Combined with political, social, and economic factors, Vietnam presents a powerful opportunity on the global stage.
Vietnam Garden Products continue to attract U.S. buyers, especially with tariffs on Chinese goods pushing costs up by as much as 25% if no agreement is reached. In response, many Vietnamese suppliers are investing in R&D to stay competitive with innovative designs that match global market needs.
As your Asian sourcing expert, we have highlighted key sectors within Vietnam Garden Products — including pottery, netting, garden tools, garden gloves, plant supports, arches and obelisks, hanging baskets, coco-liners, and furniture. Building on our ‘We Are Garden’ initiative, we engaged directly with suppliers to gain deeper insights into the industry and the opportunities available.
One such example is a leading furniture and decking manufacturer serving the U.S. and EU markets. Their production is part of the wider Vietnam Garden Products ecosystem, which showcases not only raw material strength but also innovation, sustainability, and competitive pricing.
Garden Products : Furniture Supplier
Forty-five minutes outside of Ho Chi Minh city, we turned off the main road into a vast industrial park. Unlike most industrial parks, we found ourselves pulling up beside a wooden house set within a lush garden, where we were greeted by the company Chairman (“Mr T”). This was of course a showroom and an oasis set aside the impressively well-managed manufacturing facility. Mr T has over 20 years’ experience in dealing with wooden furniture exports from Vietnam. During the years, he has seen the evolution of manufacturing capability first-hand. His factory is both FSC™ and BSCI certified and is set up to deliver against international expectations from an Asian sourcing perspective.
Garden Products : Interview
1. Which countries within the Asian Region do you see as your main competitors?
I see Indonesia and Malaysia as my main threats given the type of products that they manufacture, service level, and quality they can produce.
2. What does ‘Sustainability’ mean to your business?
Sustainability and eco-friendly was important for our brand from the very beginning. As a result, we have a strict process when it comes to selecting the source of raw material. Whether our wood comes from the US, EU, Malaysia, Paraguay, Brasil or even locally, it all must be FSC™ certified. We also comply with the protocol of using only non-formaldehyde compounds to ensure our products are as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible.
3. How do you continue to develop your export market and client base?
We have experience in dealing with large international clients. Therefore, we understand that executing against specifications, delivery dates and price are key-components in developing and retaining our client base. For instance, we put an emphasis on developing ‘partnerships’ that help us innovate and align with the client. In this way, we are always able to find the best possible options for our clients.
4. What are your biggest challenges as a business?
From an external perspective, with a number of companies recently moving out of China, Vietnam Garden Products are becoming more competitive on the global stage. Pricing remains a challenge, as many buyers still compare to historical supplier costs. Of course, price is important, but we want to work with clients who recognize the broader value that Vietnam Garden Products bring — quality, innovation, and sustainability.
Internally, one of the biggest challenges is wage inflation and staff retention, with costs rising 3–5% per year. Our employees are central to long-term success. Therefore, we created a development program to help our staff grow and develop alongside our business, ensuring Vietnam Garden Products maintain consistent quality and reliability for international clients.
5. What is the future for the Vietnam manufacturing base in your product category?
The furniture industry in Vietnam continues to develop and evolve with increased competition across Asia. There needs to be a shift to a greater use of technology and machinery to enhance efficiencies and maintain prices rather than solely rely on manual labour.
There is Government investment in infrastructure and manufacturing. Combine this with the experience of making furniture over many years in Vietnam, we are well-positioned to continue to grow this category of exports in the future. As a business, we are looking to reach new markets with different requirements who focus on quality, design, and sustainability.
6. Garden Products Competitive Position in Asia – Vietnam stays strong as a sourcing hub by combining lower costs with adaptability to changing market demands.
Competitive Position in Asia Despite increased competition from other Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and India, Vietnam maintains a strong sourcing position because of two main advantages:
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Cost Advantages – Vietnam offers lower production and labour costs compared to many regional competitors. Even with gradual wage inflation, manufacturing in Vietnam is still more cost-effective than in China or other higher-cost markets. This makes Vietnam attractive for global buyers looking to balance quality with affordability.
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Adaptability – Vietnamese manufacturers have shown flexibility by quickly adjusting to changing market demands, tariffs, and buyer requirements. For example, many factories shifted from outdoor to indoor furniture or invested in R&D to develop new designs. This adaptability allows Vietnam to stay competitive even when global trade dynamics shift.
Summary
There are approximately 1,500 furniture exporters in Vietnam with 30% of these being a result of foreign direct investment (FDI). Certainly, one key advantage of this category is the flexibility that has been demonstrated with a pivot from the more traditional outdoor furniture lines to an increasing industry for indoor furniture (as with Mr T’s factory).
As a Vietnam Sourcing Company, on the ground for over 10 years, we have identified the Garden Product and Outdoor sector as a growth manufacturing sector in Vietnam. Where necessary, we have developed manufacturing capability at factory level to produce high-quality products at competitive prices. There is now a unique opportunity to source a breadth of products all out of Vietnam.
For more information, please contact us at vietnam@et2cint.com. We will help your business positively bloom!
