Vietnam has overtaken Bangladesh, as the world's second largest apparel exporters, in exports of readymade garments (RMG) to the US. Though retailers had stocked up for higher sales in summer, Vietnam’s exports of RMG exceeded those of Bangladesh, said traders. Bangladesh exported 162 million SME (square metre) in June, while Vietnam exported 269 million SME. China, on the other hand, which is the largest supplier of apparels to the US, exported 996 million SME in the same month.

Vietnam was on the second place among the top-10 RMG exporters to the US, while Bangladesh was pushed to number three. China, though, remained at the top, with growth increasing in speed from the previous month. The volume of US apparel imports from all sources rose by 7.7 per cent year-on-year in June, up from 6.8 per cent rise in May, this was reported by the Department of Commerce's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA).

Imports in the US reached 2.33 billion square metre (SME), which is an increase from 2.17 billion SME in June 2014. China’s shipment, was up by 6.4 per cent to 996 million SME followed by Vietnam, which grew to 269 million SME, compared to the same month a year ago.