In November, Vietnam exported nearly 173 million medical face masks, representing a rise of 20.6% against the previous month, according to a monthly-report from the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC).

Production of anti-baterial face masks at Garment 10 Company.

The GDVC added around 50 companies in Vietnam exported medical face masks tothe US, Europe, Singapore, or South Korea, among others.

This marks an increase in three consecutive months in Vietnam’s face mask export, following a 0.3% month-on-month growth in October.

In total, Vietnamese enterprises exported over 1.3 billion medical face masks in the first 11 months of 2020.

In May, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approved the export of medical face masks and protective gear provided domestic demand and reserves are met.

However, the export turnover of face masks declined in July after the Covid-19 pandemic was gradually contained in many countries. In the domestic market, demand for face masks has also weakened as local people are calmer and more experienced in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since September, demand for face masks has sharply risen as countries around the world are struggling with a surge in Covid-19 infections, especially in Europe and the US. As such, many governments have now made it compulsory for people to wear face masks.

Under the growing impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, face mask production is considered a viable solution for garment companies in Vietnam to maintain operations and offset losses from lower demand for garments. This year, Vietnam’s textile and apparel exports are set to decrease by 10% from 2019 to US$35 billion, in turn falling short of the US$42-billion garment export target.