VietNamNet Bridge – Imported interior decorations have been dominating the local market, as domestic producers have failed to cater to local tastes.
According to industry insiders, the nation's interior decoration producers have so far conceded most of the market share to imported goods, mostly arriving from mainland China, Hong Kong and Thailand.
It's even difficult for customers to buy locally made products, as most shops have either closed their doors or turned to imported goods.
The market has so far seen the presence of several shops specialising in imported goods, including the internationally known trademarks of Land Bond, Lee Furniture and SB Furniture.
Local distributors have attributed the dominance over the domestic market to rapid changes and diversification in the designs of imported goods, as well as their reasonable pricing.
Moreover, the distributors have admitted that they would prefer to sell imported goods, as profits were easier and quicker to achieve.
"If we sell locally made decorations, we often have to wait for new designs. But it's different with imported goods, which provide new and attractive designs regularly," said Mai Lan, an interior decoration shop owner on Thai Ha Street.
As for local producers they've admitted that the domestic market was not so attractive to them due to insignificant profits. Local designers and producers explained that production for the local market would often take a long time and they were never sure whether or not the products would actually be good sellers.
Meanwhile, they could easily make much higher profits if they acted as subcontractors for foreign designers. They could churn out large volumes according to ordered contracts without ever having to design and test customers' tastes.
However, several domestic interior decoration producers were still trying to exploit the local market, despite the competition.
Nha Xinh, for instance, capitalised on its natural timber products' strengths to avoid competing with imported leather, glass and artificial timber products.
The head of Nha Xinh's design division, Nguyen Huy Lan, said his company considered design its primary work, and the company this year planned to market seven collections targeting youth instead of only middle-aged people.
Launched in 1996, Rosano, who uses imported materials, has also proved successful while focusing only on cushioned products.
