Coronavirus to hit Vietnam's garment industry hard - association chairman

Vietnamese garment makers will face a severe shortage of materials from the second quarter of this year because the new coronavirus has disrupted their supply chains, the chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association said on Tuesday.

Garments and textiles are Vietnam's third-largest export earner, after smartphones and electronics products. Garment makers in Southeast Asian country rely heavily on materials sourced from China, where the virus has killed more than 2,600 people.

"Domestic firms have sufficient materials for production until the end of the first quarter, but many of them will face a severe shortage of materials from the second quarter because they have trouble importing materials from key suppliers in China, Japan, and South Korea," Vu Duc Giang told Reuters.