Vietnam surpassed China to become the leading exporter of textiles and garments to the United States during the first five months of this year. The nation achieved the highest export growth among the world's top three exporters in this category, according to the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex).

From Jan-May’24, Vietnam's textile and apparel exports to the US amounted to approximately $16 billion, marking a 5 percent Y-o-Y increase. Of this, $6 billion was generated from the US market, reflecting a 4 percent rise compared to the same period last year.

With these results, Vietnam has overtaken China to secure the largest market share of textile and garment exports to the United States. According to Cao HuuHieu, General Director, Vinatex, Vietnam also recorded the strongest export growth among the top three global exporters during this period.

The other top three exporting nations are Bangladesh and China. Vinatex data shows that Bangladesh’s export earnings increased by 3.9 per cent to $21.7 billionwhile China's total textile-garment export turnover decreased by 2 per cent from Jan-May to $66 billion. Vinatexattributed Vietnam's rise to the transfer of numerous orders from other countries to Vietnam and a 5 percent decline in the value of the Vietnamese dong relative to the US dollar, rather than an increase in global demand.

In response to intense market competition, many textile businesses in Vietnam have started producing items made of blended and recycled fibers, which are outside their traditional expertise, to capture niche markets. Despite this shift, these businesses continue to produce traditional cotton fiber products.

At the same time, companies are upgrading production technology, promoting research and development of new products, and seeking new customers to reduce reliance on established markets.