WOOL is used in millions of garments Vietnam produces, but a contingent of 20 processors and manufacturers from the country had never sighted the fibre on the sheep's back until this week.
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It's no secret Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) is working to reduce the industry's reliance on China and assisting the Vietnamese delegation this week was part of that ongoing effort.
At present, 75 per cent of the Australian wool clip is exported to China and part of AWI's strategy during the past two years has been to ramp up the Vietnamese textile and apparel industry's interest in the fibre.
Their self-funded tour included a visit to a wool auction and the Australian Wool Testing Authority both at Melbourne, as well as an on-farm visit to AWI chairman Wal Merriman's property at Boorowa.
Saigon Wool and Trading Corporation chief executive officer and president, Vu Thanh Thuy, Ho Chi Minh City, who was on the tour, said she hoped to soon use he respected Woolmark logo on her Vietnamese produced garments.
Ms Vu Thanh Thuy's company produces 500,000 flat knitted pieces a year including sweaters, scarves, hats and skirts, but currently only about five per cent of this production used wool.
"Until a few years ago we didn't use any wool, but after an industry visit from AWI I decided we had to," she said.
Ms Vu Thanh Thuy said the hardest process to learn was how to wash wool.
"I knew about knitting but not about washing and with the help of AWI and with a few months of working it out we got it right," she said.
Ms Vu Thanh Thuy said wool was regarded by consumers as high quality and helped her market her garments for a higher price.
Ms Vu Thanh Thuy uses about 150,000 kilograms to 200,000kg of dyed yarn in total each year sourced from China, Malaysia, Thailand and locally in Vietnam with the wool component all 19.5 micron.
All but a small percentage of the company's production, which is consumed locally, is sold to Europe and Japan.
Last year Saigon Wool supplied an order of 20,000 woollen pieces to a New Zealand buyer which was marketed in Australia and New Zealand under the Ecogear label.
And this year it has received an inquiry from Australia to supply school jumpers in an 80pc wool/20pc polyester blend for three schools, which will be sold under the Oxford label.
Also on the tour was Tong Thi Thanh who operates VIEBA Company Limited, making bet- ween 500,000 to 1 million sweaters and pants a year, with 10pc of those containing some wool.
The couple first entered the rag trade in the Hung Yen province, near Hanoi, 10 years ago when they established two workshops to produce sweaters and pants.
They now also operate 30 retail clothing stores in Poland.
As a result of demand from European customers they first used wool in their garments five years ago.
"We use more wool in our sweaters than our pants and prefer blends because of price, but also because we can achieve more different looks with blends than pure wool," Ms Tong Thi Thanh said.
VIEBA pants retail for 30 to 100 Euros and sweaters for 20 to 60 Euros.
The idea of cool wool for sportswear has piqued the interest of Ms Tong Thi Thanh who first saw the concept in Italy last year.
Her company also showcased its woollen garments in Paris for the first time this year and has plans to return again in July, with a range being developed with a Dutch designer.
"We hope to get more customers through working with AWI and also hope AWI's involvement in Vietnam will lead to more local processing," Ms Tong Thi Thanh said.
"Importing fabric and yarn from other countries can lead to time delays and high prices for small orders so being able to buy more in Vietnam in the future would be good."
