Ho Chi Minh City’s wood processing industry aims to achieve 15 billion USD in export revenue by 2035, with 80% of products meeting green standards, heard a meeting held on December 18.
The first congress of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City (HAWA), the 2025–2028 tenure, marked HAWA's merger with the Binh Duong Furniture Association (BIFA) to form a new industry association representing nearly 1,000 member enterprises. It plays a connecting role between authorities and businesses, supporting enterprises in addressing major challenges that individual companies cannot tackle on their own.
To realise the wood industry’s vision and objectives, the association will focus on developing pioneering companies, building the city’s furniture brand, strengthening human resources training, promoting the adoption of environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-aligned management practices, and expanding the network of international partners.
A HAWA representative said the merger was a crucial step in line with the Party and Government’s policy on administrative unit merger, aimed at fully leveraging the resources and strengths of each locality to create new momentum.
Vietnam is currently the world’s second-largest exporter of wood furniture, with more than 4,200 companies directly involved in the export. Following its merger with Binh Duong and Ba Ria – Vung Tau, HCM City accounts for nearly 50% of the country’s total wood and wood-product export turnover.
This is expected to give the local wood industry a strong boost into a phase of high-quality growth driven by linkages, innovation, sustainability, and deeper integration into global value chains.
The merger of HAWA and BIFA is hoped to create new growth impulses by integrating the southeasten region’s complementary strengths, including trade promotion and innovation of former HCM City, industrial manufacturing and green transition of former Binh Duong, and seaports and logistics of former Ba Ria – Vung Tau to generate strong momentum for the industry.
Nguyen Liem, BIFA Chairman in the sixth tenure, said Vietnam has already been a global wood furniture hub, and the merger of the three localities with different advantages will form a new hub making up 50% of the country’s wood exports and becoming a key destination for the global furniture industry.
Addressing the event, Nguyen Van Dien, Deputy Director of the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, said that despite global uncertainties, Vietnam's wood and forestry product exports are projected to reach 18 billion in 2025, including 15.5 billion USD in wood and wood-products as reported by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
That will maintain the country’s position as Southeast Asia’s top exporter and second in Asia, reflecting a committed ecosystem with the association serving as a key link for the business community.
Following the merger, HAWA’s priorities include driving sustainable growth in the wood and handicraft industry, boosting Vietnamese enterprises’ manufacturing and export of high-value products, enhancing competitiveness through technical training and design-driven production, stepping up green and digital transformation, and connecting the business community while fulfilling social responsibilities.
