Why Vietnam is the hidden gem of global apparel, textile, and garment manufacturing

One of the biggest misconceptions our clients have before starting textile or garment manufacturing in Vietnam is thinking that their t-shirt, hoodie, and other apparel items are produced in just a single factory. In reality, you need an entire textile and apparel production ecosystem, involving multiple Vietnamese suppliers, manufacturers, and factories specializing in different areas — and Vietnam is one of the few countries that not only has this fabric and garment manufacturing infrastructure but also offers it at a competitive price. The content below elucidates the standardized and variant procedures involved in manufacturing of garments like t-shirts, shirts, hoodies, and other types of apparel in Vietnam.

There are 3 main stages that you need to go through to produce a garment:

1) Development

So you built a prototype and finalized the design? Now it’s time to take a step ahead and prepare for manufacturing. Many OEM/ODM clothing suppliers in Vietnam offer in-house development teams that use specialized apparel development tools to prepare your designs for production:

• A cutting pattern is created based on your final design.

• All the graphic files are prepared for printing or embroidery.

• For screen printing or embroidery, you have to vectorize your design. Make sure there are no pixels in your images;

• Don’t use gradients for screen printing. If you want gradients, go for a DTG print instead.

• Pick up label options and coordinate with suppliers for trims like size tags, care labels, or woven brand labels.

2) Sampling

Once we get into sampling, prototyping of a one piece sample of your approved design is done on the production line before proceeding to final production, to ensure that your garment design is feasible for bulk manufacturing. Some factories in Vietnam handle sampling in-house, while others coordinate with partner manufacturers or suppliers.

3) Production

After your approval, bulk production will be started. Many factories in Vietnam often specialize in a subset of garment manufacturing processes (e.g., cut & sew only, or dyeing only), so at this stage, coordination is key — and this is where Vietnamia steps in:

• Fabrics are usually sourced from suppliers in Vietnam, but based on customer request, they can also be imported from international textile manufacturers. Be aware that labels, buttons, zippers, eyelets, cords, thread—also often come from specialized suppliers within Vietnam or overseas.

• Once fabric is chosen and shipped, it goes to processing—pre-treatment, dyeing, and printing—depending on the design. Some fabrics need washing or compacting to prevent shrinkage. Dyeing can happen before cutting (pre-dyeing) or after assembly (garment dyeing). Printing occurs either before or after sewing, depending on the chosen method—screen printing, sublimation, DTG (direct-to-garment), or heat transfer. Logos, patterns, and other embroidery are often done before garment assembly.

• Then comes fabric cutting and preparation—fabric rolls are laid out in layers, cutting is done by either cutting machine or laser, and fabric is separated and labeled for sewing lines.

• During sewing and assembly, each sewer may perform a specific task (assembly line model).

• After assembly, printing (if not done earlier), ironing, pressing, trimming, and labeling are completed.

• After final quality control and packing, products are sent to warehouse, where further logistics are handled by a freight forwarder or logistics company (air or sea).

Final Insight

Vietnamia can help bring your fashion vision to life by connecting you with the right garment factories, textile suppliers, and apparel manufacturers across Vietnam. Whether you're producing t-shirts, hoodies, or other types of apparel, we offer access to high-quality manufacturing partners at low MOQs. Contact our team to schedule your free consultation! To make things easier, you can also browse suppliers directly through our Vietnam suppliers website.