Vietnam emerging as new market for U.S. wood - Trade Notes - Brief Article

AgExporter, Jan, 2003

Between January and July 2002, U.S. wood exports to Vietnam jumped to $13.8 million. During the same period the previous year, exports were valued at just $4 million. Hardwood lumber, logs and veneer, used primarily by Vietnam's furniture industry accounted for over 90 percent of the trade. There are approximately 1,200 furniture manufacturers in Vietnam, and the short-term outlook is that their production will continue to grow 10 percent each year.

Because neighboring countries such as Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia and China have implemented export controls for timber, Vietnam has turned to New Zealand, Russia and the United States as sources of raw materials.