VOV's English service reported that Canada has emerged as a key growth market for Vietnam's leather and footwear industry, identifying the country alongside the United States and the European Union as a priority export destination for Vietnamese manufacturers.

The state broadcaster's coverage did not disclose shipment volumes, value figures, or named buyer-supplier pairings in the report seen by Softgoods Report.

Why the Canadian flag carries weight

Vietnam is a top-five global footwear exporter, with leather and finished-goods manufacturing concentrated in the south around Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Dong Nai provinces. The United States has historically absorbed the largest share of Vietnamese leather and footwear shipments, with the EU, Japan, and South Korea filling out the next tier.

A named Canadian growth market, reported by an official Vietnamese outlet, indicates state-level recognition of demand diversification away from concentrated US exposure. For Vietnamese factories running 10,000-plus-headcount facilities, the report signals that buyers sourcing through Canadian retail and wholesale channels warrant a dedicated trade lane rather than a US-redirect flow.

What the VOV report does not yet specify

VOV's headline-level framing omits several items a trade desk would expect:

• Specific export volume or value by HS chapter for footwear (64) and leather goods (42)
• Named brands or retailers routing Vietnamese production into Canada
• Tariff line detail under CETA or the Canada-Vietnam bilateral trade framework
• Factory headcount or new capacity investments tied to Canadian demand

Until LEFASO (Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association) or Vietnam's General Department of Customs publishes matching data, the VOV report functions as a directional market signal rather than a confirmed buyer-supplier commitment.

The sourcing decision this forces

For Canadian softgoods importers, the VOV flag points to a Vietnamese supply base with growing willingness to serve the Canadian market directly. Procurement teams sourcing private-label or branded footwear should expect a stronger inbound push from Vietnamese factories through 2026, particularly under any preferential duty treatment available under CETA-adjacent frameworks.

For Vietnamese suppliers, the report reinforces the value of keeping non-US market development funded, especially as 2025 US reciprocal-tariff adjustments continue to reshape North American sourcing economics.

The commercial fact: Canada is now being named by an official Vietnamese outlet as a growth destination, and trade desks should track the next LEFASO or customs release for the underlying export figures.