5 Common Pitfalls When Sourcing Custom Hotel Furniture in Vietnam
Fast forward to today, and the “China Plus One” strategy isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the reality for almost every major hotel developer I talk to. Driven by lower labor costs and the need to diversify supply chains (especially for the US market), everyone is rushing to find made in Vietnam furniture.
But here is the hard truth that few sourcing agents will tell you: Sourcing in Vietnam is not the same as sourcing in China.
After managing dozens of 5-star hotel projects across both countries, I’ve seen too many developers make the mistake of assuming they can simply “copy-paste” their sourcing strategy. They land in Ho Chi Minh City, sign a contract with the biggest factory they see, and six months later, they are dealing with delayed shipments, mismatched veneers, and quality that doesn’t meet the brand standards of a Sheraton or a Hyatt.
If you are navigating furniture sourcing in Vietnam for a hospitality project, this guide is for you. Here are the five most expensive mistakes I see developers make—and how our team at Gainwell solves them.
Pitfall 1: The "Retail Giant" Trap
When you first Google “top furniture manufacturers in Vietnam,” you will see impressive numbers. Factories with 10,000 workers. Campuses that look like small cities. Monthly capacities of 1,000 containers.
It is tempting to think, “Wow, this factory is huge; they must be safe.”
The Trap:
Most of these behemoths are built for one thing: Retail Mass Production. They are optimized to churn out 50,000 identical dining chairs for Ashley Furniture or Costco. Their production lines are rigid, automated, and high-speed.
The Reality for Hotels:
A custom hotel project is the exact opposite of retail. You might need 300 nightstands, 20 public area sofas (each with different fabrics), and a bespoke reception counter.
When you force a “Retail Giant” to handle a high-mix, low-volume hotel order, their system breaks down. They don’t have the agility to stop the line for a custom detail. I’ve seen projects where a massive factory simply ignored the designer’s request for a specific joinery detail because “it slowed down the CNC machine.”
The Gainwell Approach:
At our Binh Duong facility, we maintain a “sweet spot” capacity. With 600+ skilled workers operating across a 50,000 sqm facility, we are large enough to handle a 500-room resort, but our production lines are designed for flexibility. We built our factory specifically for the hospitality sector, meaning we treat every SKU as a custom piece, not a commodity.
Pitfall 2: Underestimating the "Engineering Gap"
Vietnam has a rich history of woodworking. The local craftsmanship—especially in weaving, carving, and solid wood execution—is phenomenal. But in the world of high-end hotel furniture, craftsmanship is not enough. You need engineering.
The Trap:
Many local Vietnamese factories are excellent at making what they are told to make, but they struggle with shop drawing deepening (the process of turning a designer’s pretty concept into a buildable, structural reality).
If you send a complex concept sketch to a purely local factory, they might build it exactly as drawn—even if the design is structurally unsound. Six months later, the chair legs start wobbling because the internal tenon structure wasn’t engineered correctly.
The Gainwell Approach:
We call our model “China Brain, Vietnam Hands.”
While our production is 100% made in Vietnam, our engineering process is supported by our veteran technical team from the Gainwell China HQ. Before a single piece of wood is cut in Binh Duong, the drawings are often reviewed and deepened by senior engineers who have 20 years of experience executing St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton projects. We bridge the engineering gap so you don’t have to.
Pitfall 3: Ignoring Material Supply Chain Instability
Rubberwood and Acacia are abundant in Vietnam. But a luxury hotel room isn’t just made of wood. It requires PVD-coated stainless steel, specific high-grade veneers (like North American Walnut), imported fabrics, and natural stone.
The Trap:
The ancillary supply chain in Vietnam (hardware, metalworking, specialized finishes) is still maturing.
I have seen projects delayed for weeks simply because a factory couldn’t find a local supplier who could do high-quality “Champagne Gold” electroplating on stainless steel. They kept trying local workshops, and the finish kept peeling off.
If your factory relies solely on local sourcing for every component, you are gambling with your timeline.
The Gainwell Approach:
We don’t rely on luck. We utilize a Cross-Border Supply Chain.
Because Gainwell has an established manufacturing base in China (the world’s most mature furniture supply chain), we can easily source specialized hardware or rare veneers through our HQ network and ship them to our Vietnam factory for assembly. We bring the best materials to the best labor market, ensuring your design isn’t compromised by local limitations.
Pitfall 4: The Risk of "Transshipment" & Tariff Compliance
For our US clients, this is the most critical point. You are likely sourcing in Vietnam to avoid Section 301 tariffs. But the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is aggressive about catching “Transshipment”—goods made in China but simply repackaged in Vietnam.
The Trap:
Some unscrupulous suppliers set up “showroom factories” in Vietnam. They import finished furniture from China, screw on a leg or change a box, and label it “Made in Vietnam.”
This is illegal. If caught, your goods can be seized, and you could face massive fines. To legally qualify as furniture made in Vietnam, the product must undergo “Substantial Transformation.”
The Gainwell Approach:
We invite you to visit us. You won’t see boxes being repacked. You will see raw lumber entering our warehouse. You will see our CNC machines cutting the wood, our sanding department smoothing the frames, our painting lines applying the finish, and our upholstery team cutting and sewing the fabrics.
Every step of the manufacturing process happens inside our Binh Duong facility. We provide full transparency and documentation to prove Substantial Transformation, giving you 100% peace of mind regarding tariff compliance.
Pitfall 5: Project Management & Communication Breakdowns
Finally, let’s talk about people. Furniture sourcing in Vietnam is a relationship business.
The Trap:
In many Southeast Asian cultures, there is a hesitation to say “No” or “I don’t understand” to a client. You might ask a factory manager, “Can we change this finish by next week?” and they will smile and say “Yes.”
You interpret that as “It will be done.” They might mean “I heard you, and I will try, but it’s probably impossible.” This communication gap leads to surprise delays right before shipment. You need a team that speaks the language of international project management, not just English.
The Gainwell Approach:
Our project management team is trained in the high-pressure environment of international hospitality. We believe in radical transparency. If a specific stone is out of stock, we tell you immediately and propose three alternatives. We use standard tracking tools and provide weekly photo reports from the factory floor. We bridge the cultural gap to ensure your expectations match the reality on the ground.
Conclusion
Vietnam is, without a doubt, the most exciting sourcing destination for hospitality furniture today. The cost advantages are real, and the quality—when managed correctly—is world-class.
To succeed, you simply need to look beyond the “Lowest Price” and the “Biggest Factory.” You need a partner who:
- Specializes in Hospitality (not retail mass production).
- Bridges the Engineering Gap with technical expertise.
- Controls the Supply Chain across borders.
- Guarantees Compliance through real manufacturing.
At Gainwell, we have spent the last decade perfecting this balance. We combine the cost benefits of Vietnam with the engineering maturity of our global experience. Contact Gainwell today to discuss your project requirements and see how we can deliver 5-star quality.
