Strong trademark key to goods entry in UK market

Through the event, the Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry sought to undated the local business community on the National Trademark Programme and support them in the building their own trademarks.

According to head of the agency Do Kim Lang, the UK is a leading financial hub, and the fifth largest economy in the world and the second in Europe. The UK is also one of the largest export markets in the EU.

As Vietnam is integrating extensively into the world economy and enhancing its political and economic position in the global arena, the building of a strong and prestigious trademark is important to affirm the quality and competitiveness of Vietnamese products and services, he said.

However, he also acknowledged the fact that Vietnam has yet to build competitive trademarks due to poor designs and non-standardized quality of its products.

Along with efforts to assist enterprises, the Trade Promotion Agency, which is also the Secretariat of the National Trademark Programme, has called for the engagement of businesses in the programme’s activities as well as the involvement of ministries and sectors in tackling existing problems, stated Lang.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Hong Thuy from the Commercial Office of the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK said that the majority of UK firms focus on areas of high technology, health care, pharmaceuticals, machinery and equipment rather than basic consumer goods production.

Therefore, the UK has high demand for agro-forestry and fishery products, garments, footwear and handicrafts, which are of Vietnam’s strength, said Thuy.

The opportunity has yet been tapped by Vietnamese enterprises, largely due to their poor trademark promotion, she stressed.

Saby Mishra, CEO of J. Water Thompson Vietnam, asserted that although the UK is an open market, products imported to the country are strictly controlled by the world’s highest technical and food safety standards.

He advised Vietnamese firms to pay due attention to ensuring quality, health and environmental standards in their trademark in order to get a foothold in the UK market.

Experts at the event also highlighted the need for businesses to create a difference in their products to satisfy customers’ demand, which also enables them to protect and promote their trademarks.