Hanoi, July 13 -- Vietnam's footwear industry is stepping up efforts to build greener production and strengthen domestic supply chains as it seeks to maintain export growth amid global uncertainties. The sector earned nearly 12 billion USD from exports in the first half of 2026. During the period, Vietnam also overtook China to become the largest footwear supplier to the US market for the first time. Footwear exports reached 11.95 billion USD during the first six months of the year, up 0.5% from a year earlier. Although shipments to markets such as China, Japan, the UK and Mexico declined, exports recovered strongly toward the end of the second quarter. In June alone, overseas shipments rose to 2.16 billion USD, more than 200 million USD ...