The role of national brands in the context of intensive and extensive international integration was the main theme of a workshop held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Trade Promotion Agency in central Da Nang city on July 29. Speaking at the event, which was part of the 2015 National Brand Programme, deputy head of the agency Do Kim Lang stressed that brand names are among the important factors contributing to maintaining and expanding domestic and foreign markets for enterprises, improving commercial civilisation and preventing negative competition. Enhancing brand names will help businesses increase their competitiveness and gain a firm foothold on the market, he added. The National Brand Programme, approved by the Prime Minister in 2003, has been held biennially since 2008 to build Vietnam into a nation recognised for its high-quality products and services. Last year, 63 businesses were honoured at the national brand awards. However, experts said that most small- and medium-sized enterprises are currently incapable of building national brands. To build and develop national brand names, Bernd Khunemund, a senior consultant on marketing and branding from Germany, stressed the need for Vietnamese businesses to design specific strategies and apply marketing campaigns in their product lines through both online and offline channels like social networks, newspapers and television. He suggested renovating the quality of products in line with market demands to popularise brand names on the international market.-VNA