VietNamNet Bridge – “Say No to Chinese Goods” campaigns have been launched on many fanpages and social networks following the recent Chinese provocations in the East Sea.

Vietnamese, who are becoming increasingly enraged over China’s illegal deployment of a drilling rig and military vessels in Vietnamese territorial waters, are tending to turn their backs on Chinese goods.

“If you are Vietnamese, you must not buy, use or trade Chinese goods,” a netizen wrote on a forum for the youth.

Thousands of young people have responded to the call. Nguyen Khanh Toan, a member of the forum, said that in fact, many Vietnamese have been refusing Chinese goods for the last several years already.

For many Vietnamese, the term “Chinese goods” has long meant products of low quality, and often outright toxic. On top of that, Chinese businessmen have earned a reputation for swindling Vietnamese farmers.

Ngoc Hien, a teacher from An Giang Province wrote that, though his income is modest, he intends never to buy Chinese goods, even though they are much cheaper than Vietnamese goods or imports.

“Chinese businessmen are too cunning, while Chinese goods are dirty and unsafe,” he said.

Some members of the forum, however, said they fear the “Say No to Chinese Goods” campaign cannot produce meaningful results because of the flooding of Chinese goods in the Vietnamese market.

“Mismanagement is paving the way for smuggled Chinese goods to penetrate the home market. Meanwhile, Vietnamese people with low income have to use Chinese goods even though they themselves don’t want to,” commented Khanh Hien from Tien Giang Province.  

However, the majority of the young people do not agree with Hien. Hanh Le, a student of the Hanoi National University, said the products available in Vietnam are diversified enough for different groups of customers.

“High income earners, for example, can use foreign made products, while Vietnamese goods should be a good choice for low income earners,” Le said. “You can also consider the products bearing South Korean and Japanese brands and made in Vietnam, which are much cheaper than the imports of the same kinds”.

“We have a lot of non-China choices,” Tuan Anh, a civil engineer, said. “If you still prefer imports, you can buy imports from South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia, which are getting cheaper thanks to the free trade agreements”.

A recent survey conducted by the Central Propaganda Committee has found that 59 percent of Vietnamese consumers “prioritize to buy Vietnamese”, 38 percent “advise their relatives and friends to buy Vietnamese”, while 36 percent said they previously prioritized to buy import products, but now tend to buy Vietnamese instead.

Thanh Hang, an office worker in Cau Giay District in Hanoi, said about 30 percent of the household appliances in her home are from China. However, she is starting to cut down on her spending on Chinese goods, especially toys, which have been found to contain toxins.

“Chinese goods have been boycotted all over the world,” she explained. “Why don’t we use Vietnamese goods if they are really better than Chinese?” she questioned.

Phap Luat