Billion Rise has opened a $100 million, 320,000-square-meter fabric factory in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam, giving apparel brands a vertically integrated sourcing alternative to its established Qing Yuan, China manufacturing base.

The Hong Kong-based company said the facility will reach an annual production capacity of up to 100 million meters when fully built. Phase one is complete and covers roughly 110,000 square meters. Knitting, dyeing and printing capacity follows in phase two, slated for completion in the third quarter of 2026. The final phase is due in the third quarter of 2029.

The company tied the opening to rising demand from brands seeking geographic diversification and to the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement, which it said will increase trade "by eliminating 99 percent of tariffs, reducing regulatory barriers and opening services and public procurement markets."

Steven Moore, global sales director, said the EVFTA creates new openings for EU and U.K. brands to source apparel from Vietnam using locally made fabrics.

Why did Billion Rise choose Vietnam?

CEO and owner Charles Chen framed the plant as a flexibility play for existing customers. "We're pleased to give our customers greater sourcing flexibility with the addition of our Vietnam operation to our established manufacturing base in Qing Yuan China," Chen said.

He noted the site reflects a decade of investment. "We're confident Vietnam will deliver the quality, technical expertise and consistency our brand partners require," he said.

According to JP Brogan, U.S. managing director of sales and marketing, major U.S. activewear and intimates brands are actively diversifying sourcing toward Vietnam. Billion Rise positions itself for that shift on the strength of its high-volume, technically complex performance fabrics.

What capabilities does the factory offer?

The Vietnam facility will match the sophistication of the Chinese operation, the company said, including:

• Warp and weft knitting
• Dyeing
• Digital, flat-bed and heat-transfer printing
• Stentering and finishing
• A wastewater treatment system and rooftop solar

Brogan said the investment extends beyond hardware. "Our investment in Vietnam goes beyond the physical facility," he said, citing materials strategy expertise plus AI and 3D visualization tools that help brands identify white space, build material franchises and visualize new opportunities.

Where can buyers see the fabrics?

Billion Rise will showcase its fabric innovations at:

• Performance Days Munich, Oct. 13-15
• Interfilière Shanghai, Oct. 13-14
• Texfuture Tokyo/Performance Days Tokyo, Oct. 21-22
• Vietnam Hanoi Textile & Garment Industry Expo, Oct. 21-22

What decision does this force for sourcing teams?

For activewear, swimwear and intimates buyers weighing China-plus-one strategies, the Thanh Hoa plant offers a single vertically integrated option covering knitting through finishing, with a tariff advantage into the EU once EVFTA rules of origin are met. Sourcing teams should now assess whether locally produced fabrics qualify for preferential treatment under the agreement, and whether phase-one capacity of 110,000 square meters can absorb their volumes before full build-out in 2029.