The global outdoor equipment market size is expected to be worth around USD 12.2 Billion by 2034, from USD 6.7 Billion in 2024, growing at a CAGR of 6.2%, fueled by the rise of camping, hiking, and outdoor fitness. As brands diversify supply chains beyond China, Vietnam has emerged as a leading manufacturing hub — combining cost efficiency, trade advantages, and rising technical capability.
For importers, Vietnam offers a stable, compliance-ready alternative to China without sacrificing quality or scalability. This guide provides a concise, audit-ready roadmap: market insights, sourcing rationale, key challenges, and forward trends — followed by a practical sourcing checklist to help you execute confidently and stay inspection-proof.
Market Size & Category Breakdown
The global outdoor equipment industry includes everything from tents and backpacks to camping furniture, trekking poles, and hydration gear. It’s driven by lifestyle shifts toward sustainability, wellness, and remote recreation.
Vietnam’s outdoor equipment industry has grown fast in the last decade. It now supports both global brands and mid-sized importers seeking flexible order volumes, certified factories, and better cost control.
Market Overview
The global outdoor equipment market is expected to hit $12.2 billion by 2034, fueled by lifestyle shifts toward sustainability and adventure travel.
Vietnam is the third-largest exporter of outdoor power equipment, following the United States and China, holds a 22% share of the global market for outdoor power equipment exports.
Top destinations include the U.S., Japan, Germany, and South Korea, with growing penetration in Nordic and Australian markets.
Key Product Categories
1. Camping and Hiking Gear
Vietnam is a regional powerhouse in tents, hammocks, and sleeping mats. The southern provinces — Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Long An — host clusters of sewing, assembly, and aluminum extrusion factories.
Why it matters: Vietnam’s experience in sewn products translates perfectly to tent construction and portable furniture.
What to watch: Waterproofing and seam-sealing consistency are key QC checkpoints.
Best practice: Request hydrostatic head and tensile strength tests for all tent fabrics.
2. Backpacks and Outdoor Bags
With decades of experience in apparel and footwear, Vietnam’s northern regions (like Hai Duong and Bac Giang) have pivoted to produce high-volume daypacks, trekking bags, and tactical backpacks.
Why it matters: These factories combine fabric cutting, lamination, and advanced stitching — allowing for more customization with short lead times.
What to watch: Pay attention to component traceability — zippers, buckles, and webbing are often imported.
Best practice: Lock in zipper and hardware suppliers early in your BOM.
3. Outdoor Furniture and Accessories
Post-pandemic, global consumers embraced outdoor living — driving demand for camp chairs, folding tables, and cots. Vietnamese manufacturers have adapted fast, combining metal frames with textile upholstery.
Why it matters: Vietnam offers cost advantages in aluminum tubing and assembly, particularly for collapsible products.
What to watch: Check for load-bearing certifications and corrosion resistance on metal parts.
Best practice: Run salt-spray or ASTM B117 tests for coated aluminum components.
Together, these categories highlight Vietnam’s growing capability across both soft goods (textiles) and hard goods (metal and plastic) — making it one of the few markets that can handle full outdoor gear assembly from start to finish.
Why Source Outdoor Equipment from Vietnam
1. Competitive Cost and Skilled Labor
Vietnam offers an ideal mix of affordability and craftsmanship. Labor costs are significantly lower than China’s, yet the workforce is experienced in apparel, footwear, and technical sewing.
Labor cost: Vietnam $2.5 – $3.5/hr vs China $6.5 – $8/hr (about 40–50% lower).
Skill base: Many factories transitioned from apparel to gear manufacturing, retaining high stitching precision.
Result: You get technical quality at mid-tier pricing — ideal for mid-market or private-label brands.
2. Trade Agreements and Duty Advantages
Vietnam enjoys one of the world’s widest FTA networks, giving exporters tariff advantages across major markets.
EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA): Reduces or eliminates duties on most textile and outdoor categories.
CPTPP and RCEP: Extend market access to Canada, Australia, and Japan.
3. Manufacturing Ecosystem and Compliance Readiness
Vietnam has evolved into a full-package sourcing base, supported by strong compliance infrastructure.
Local clusters: Textile and metalworking zones in Binh Duong and Dong Nai; assembly hubs in Hai Duong and Long An.
Certifications: ISO 9001, BSCI, and WRAP are common; many factories audited by SGS and Intertek.
Digital readiness: Bilingual documentation and improved QC traceability enable smoother audits.
Challenges of Importing Outdoor Equipment from Vietnam
1. Raw Material Dependency
Vietnam still imports 50–60% of its raw materials — especially technical fabrics, coatings, and yarns.
Impact: Lead times and costs depend on upstream logistics from China or Taiwan.
Risk: Fabric or component delays can derail entire production runs.
Mitigation: Ask your supplier for raw material origin details; maintain backup fabric suppliers in the region.
2. Capacity Bottlenecks and Seasonality
The outdoor gear market is highly seasonal, with production surges before summer and holiday seasons.
Impact: Lead times may extend from 45 to 90 days during Q2–Q3.
Risk: Missed delivery windows can disrupt retail launches.
Mitigation: Secure production slots at least 3 months ahead and add buffer time for freight congestion.
3. Inconsistent Documentation and Infrastructure
While Vietnam’s factories are improving fast, not all are export-mature.
Impact: Poor documentation can trigger customs delays or misclassification.
Risk: Inland transport and port congestion near Ho Chi Minh City remain recurring pain points.
Mitigation: Use bilingual POs, confirm HS codes early, and route via Hai Phong port if shipping from the north.
Future Trends in Outdoor Equipment Manufacturing in Vietnam
1. Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Materials
Vietnam’s outdoor gear industry is moving quickly toward greener production. Factories are increasingly replacing conventional materials with recycled polyester (RPET), bio-based coatings, and PFAS-free waterproofing to align with global sustainability standards. This shift is largely driven by EU environmental policies and the growing preference among Western buyers for low-impact materials. By 2026, traceability and carbon-reporting are expected to become increasingly common in audit requirements — especially for outside suppliers of export-oriented goods. Sustainable production is shifting from a branding advantage to a commercial and regulatory expectation.
2. Vertical Integration and Localized Supply Chains
To reduce dependence on imported yarns and coatings, Vietnam is seeing greater upstream investment in textile and finishing facilities. Japanese and Korean manufacturers are expanding operations in southern provinces such as Long An, while northern zones like Quang Ninh are attracting new textile and composite-material projects backed by both foreign and domestic investors.The result is a more localized supply chain with shorter lead times, better quality control, and more stable pricing — a major advantage for importers managing tight production windows. As this integration deepens, Vietnam will be able to deliver high-performance outdoor fabrics with fewer imported inputs。
3. Digitalization and Smart Manufacturing
Automation is transforming how Vietnamese factories produce outdoor gear. Many are adopting automated cutting lines, barcode-tracking systems, and cloud-based quality control tools to monitor every production stage in real time. This digital shift reduces manual error, improves inspection consistency, and allows buyers to access live QC data — an increasingly common requirement for compliance-driven brands. The outcome is a manufacturing environment that’s more transparent, data-driven, and audit-ready than ever before.
Sourcing Checklist
Keep sourcing efficient, documented, and defensible
1. Define Your BOM ( Bill of Materials )
List every fabric, hardware, and finish.
Use SourceReady to match each item to verified suppliers and view certifications side by side.
2. Pre-Qualify and Audit Suppliers
Request current ISO / BSCI / WRAP certificates.
Confirm prior export records to your target market.
Conduct third-party factory audits if risk is medium-to-high.
3. Run Pilot Production Before Scaling
Produce 50–100 units to validate patterns and coatings.
Test waterproofing, seam adhesion, and tensile performance.
Approve color swatches and trims before bulk.
4. Plan QC in Phases
Inline inspection (20 %) for early correction.
Pre-shipment (80 %) for compliance and packaging checks.
Archive reports for at least 12 months — critical for retailer audits.
5. Centralize Your Documentation
Consolidate test results, invoices, and certifications.
Conclusion: Map, Match, and Manage
Vietnam has matured into one of the most balanced outdoor-equipment sourcing hubs in Asia. It combines cost control, trade access, and improving sustainability with a manufacturing culture that understands Western compliance expectations.
Success depends on mapping your BOM to Vietnam’s core strengths, pairing it with redundant suppliers for risk coverage, and maintaining audit-ready documentation from day one.
Tools like SourceReady make that workflow faster and safer — letting you visualize supplier options, verify certifications instantly, and model landed-cost scenarios before committing to a contract.
When you manage sourcing with precision and transparency, your supply chain becomes as resilient — and as field-ready — as the outdoor gear it produces.
FAQ
1. Which regions in Vietnam are key manufacturing hubs for outdoor equipment?
Northern Vietnam (Hai Duong, Bac Giang, Hung Yen): backpacks, technical sewing, and bag assembly.
Central Vietnam (Da Nang, Quang Nam): emerging region for hybrid textile-assembly products.
2. How can I ensure product compliance for U.S. and EU imports?
Focus on three areas of compliance:
Safety & Chemical Restrictions: Follow CPSIA (U.S.) and REACH (EU). Confirm fabrics are free from banned substances like phthalates, PFAS, and azo dyes.
Labeling & Origin: Include accurate country-of-origin tags and HS codes (e.g., tents 6306.22, backpacks 4202.92).
Testing: Use recognized labs (SGS, Intertek, TÜV) for strength, flammability, and chemical tests.
3. What are the main shipping ports for outdoor goods from Vietnam?
Cat Lai (Ho Chi Minh City): Primary export port for southern factories.
Hai Phong: Preferred for northern production clusters.
Da Nang: Smaller but efficient for central-region exports.
Head of Marketing
Judy Chen
Graduating from USC with a background in business and marketing, Judy Chen has spent over a decade working in e-commerce, specializing in sourcing and supplier management. Her experience includes developing strategies to optimize supplier relationships and streamline procurement processes for growing businesses. As SourceReady’s blog writer, Judy leverages her deep understanding of sourcing challenges to create insightful content that helps readers navigate the complexities of global supply chains.
