HANOI, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam made footwear export turnovers of 16.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, posting a year-on-year rise of 11 percent, according to the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association on Thursday.
The country also earned roughly 3.4 billion U.S. dollars from exporting handbags, wallets, suitcases, hats and umbrellas last year, fulfilling the total targeted revenue of 19.5-20 billion U.S. dollars. Its products are now available in over 100 countries and regions in the world, with largest importers being the United States, China, Belgium, Japan and South Korea.
Foreign-invested firms accounted for 78.8 percent of the total export turnovers. By the end of 2018, Vietnam had some 3,000 firms operating in the sector, said the association.
Forecasting that market demand will remain positive in 2019, the association expected footwear and handbag export turnovers to expand by 10 percent on-year to some 21.5 billion U.S. dollars.
