Service 02
Vietnam sourcing agent: supplier search, procurement and export
Vietnam is a serious manufacturing country, but finding the right factory from abroad is the hard part. We act as your sourcing agent and buying office in Ho Chi Minh City: we identify candidates, go and look at them, run the technical conversation in Vietnamese, and stay on the order until it is on the vessel.
- Sourcing agent based in Ho Chi Minh City
- Supplier search & vetting
- Factory visits in person
- Pre-shipment inspection
- Export documents handled
A sourcing agent is only useful if it works for the buyer. We are a Japanese-managed trading company, not a factory and not a supplier’s sales office, so our job is to tell you which Vietnamese supplier fits your product, what the quotation really includes, and where the risk sits — including when the answer is that the first supplier you found is not the right one.
Most sourcing failures are not price failures. They are communication failures — a tolerance nobody clarified, a material grade that meant something different in translation, a certificate that was assumed rather than requested. Because our team works in English, Japanese and Vietnamese, the specification you write is the specification the factory reads.
We deliberately look at more than one supplier for the same part. Comparable quotations on comparable terms tell you far more than a single number, and they tell us whether a price is normal for Vietnam or simply the first answer somebody gave.
Typical enquiries include cast and machined metal parts, sheet-metal and press work, die castings, injection-moulded plastic components and packaging materials made to your drawing, and furniture, textiles and agricultural or food products bought as the supplier already makes them. Whatever else you want to buy from Vietnam, send us the details. If you want a finished product developed and sold under your own brand, that is our OEM & private label service.
What this includes
Supplier search and vetting
We build a shortlist from our own network and from direct enquiry, then confirm that the factory actually does the process in-house rather than subcontracting it silently.
Technical communication
Drawings, specifications and tolerances are conveyed in Vietnamese, and the factory’s questions come back to you in English.
Samples and trial orders
We arrange first-article samples and small trial runs so a decision is made on a physical part, not a photograph.
Quality and pre-shipment inspection
We agree the inspection points with you in advance and check the goods before they leave, including arranging third-party inspection when you require an independent report.
Export documentation and logistics
Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin where applicable, and coordination with the forwarder of your choice.
One counterpart, one invoice
You can deal with several factories through a single point of contact and a single set of paperwork, in a language your finance team can read.
How a sourcing request runs
- 01 Brief A drawing, a specification, a sample photo or a written description, plus the quantity, the destination country and the date you need the goods.
- 02 Supplier search We tell you whether Vietnam suits this product, then shortlist suppliers that genuinely run the required process in-house, and check them against the enterprise registry.
- 03 Quotations compared on the same terms Every shortlisted supplier quotes the same specification, quantity and Incoterm, so the numbers can be laid side by side line by line.
- 04 Samples First-article or pre-production samples for your approval, with the factory’s answers to your comments recorded in writing.
- 05 Production follow-up and inspection We follow production, raise issues early, and inspect the goods before shipment against the criteria you agreed — or bring in a third-party inspector when you want an independent report.
- 06 Shipping Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin where a preference applies, export clearance and handover to your forwarder.
What we handle, and what you decide
A sourcing agent does the legwork; the decisions stay with you.
We handle
- Searching for suppliers that actually make your kind of product, and shortlisting them
- Checking each candidate against its company registry, and any certificate it shows with the body that issued it
- Carrying your specification to the supplier and its questions back to you, in writing
- Collecting quotations on the same specification, quantity and Incoterm
- Moving samples, recording your comments and following production
- Inspection before shipment, export documents and the certificate of origin
You decide
- The specification, and what counts as a defect
- Your target price, quantity and delivery date
- Which supplier gets the order
- Whether a sample is approved
- Whether the goods ship once you have read the inspection report
- The Incoterm, the forwarder and the payment terms
How our fee is worked out
We do not publish a rate card, because the work behind a sourcing request varies too much for a single number to mean anything. What we can tell you is what the quotation for our work depends on, and we put it in writing before anything starts.
- How we are paid
- Either we act as the trading party and invoice you for the goods, with our margin inside the price, or we act as your buying agent and invoice a service fee while you pay the supplier directly. We agree which model applies before the supplier search begins.
- How much searching the product needs
- A complete drawing or specification with one target country is a different job from a loose description that needs suppliers compared across several countries.
- Samples and visits
- How many sample rounds the product is likely to need, and whether a factory has to be seen in person or checked by an independent inspector.
- Inspection, documents and delivery
- Who inspects and how many lots ship, which certificates and origin documents the destination asks for, the Incoterm you buy on, and whether goods from several suppliers are consolidated into one shipment.
What we do — and the promises we keep
We put both in writing, so you know exactly what to expect from us.
We do
- Search, vet and visit Vietnamese suppliers on your behalf
- Run the technical conversation in Vietnamese and report back in English
- Collect comparable quotations and arrange samples
- Agree inspection criteria and check goods before shipment
- Prepare and check export documentation
What we will not do
- We do not own a factory, so we do not claim capacity we do not control
- We do not quote a price before the specification is clear enough to quote against
- We do not promise certifications a factory does not hold
- We do not ship goods whose export from Vietnam is prohibited by law
Before you write to us
You do not need all of this to start a conversation — but the more of it you have, the faster we can give you a real answer instead of a range.
- Drawing, specification or a clear photograph of the item
- Material, finish and any tolerance that actually matters to you
- Annual or per-order quantity you are planning for
- Destination country and preferred Incoterms
- Any certificate or test report your market requires
- Whether this is a new development or a transfer from an existing supplier
Frequently asked questions
What does a sourcing agent in Vietnam actually do for me?
We find suppliers that make your product, check that they exist and run the process themselves, collect quotations on the same terms, arrange samples, follow production, inspect the goods and prepare the export documents. You make the decisions — the specification, the supplier, the sample approval and the shipment — and we do the work in between, in Vietnamese on the factory side and in English with you.
Is a sourcing agent the same as a buying agent or a trading company?
The words overlap. A buying agent works for the buyer for a fee; a trading company buys and resells. We can work either way — as your agent with you paying the supplier directly, or as the trading party on the invoice — and we agree which one in writing before the work starts.
Do I need a company in Vietnam to buy from Vietnamese factories?
No. You can buy on an export basis from overseas. What you do need is someone able to verify the supplier, agree the specification in Vietnamese and confirm the goods before they ship — which is the role we take.
Can you visit the factory before I place an order?
Yes. Our office is in Ho Chi Minh City and visiting suppliers is a normal part of the work. For factories far from the south we agree the travel arrangement with you in advance.
Will you tell me if Vietnam is the wrong place for my part?
Yes, and we would rather tell you at the enquiry stage. Some processes and materials are simply better served elsewhere, and a sourcing project that starts on a false premise costs you months.
How do you charge?
It depends on whether we act as the trading party on the invoice or as an agent for a fee. We agree this with you in writing before any work starts, so there is no hidden margin discussion later.
Which languages do you work in?
English, Japanese and Vietnamese. Documents can be issued in English, and internal communication with the factory is in Vietnamese.
Guides for this service
Practical, step-by-step notes written from Ho Chi Minh City, with sources and the date we checked them.
Contact
Tell us what you want to buy or sell — in Vietnam or Japan
Selling into Vietnam or Japan, sourcing from either, or a product made under your own brand. One Japanese-managed team in Ho Chi Minh City, working in English, Japanese and Vietnamese.