Vietnamese Firms Export $5 Million to U.S. Despite Esquel Ties

Three Vietnamese garment manufacturers—An Loi Apparel, Tessellation Binh Duong, and Tessellation Hoa Binh—exported at least $5 million in cotton goods to the United States between November 2024 and June 2026. These firms maintained close ties to the Esquel Group, a Chinese textile giant blacklisted by the U.S. government for alleged links to forced labor programs in the Xinjiang region.

Shipment records reveal the Vietnamese companies previously operated under the Esquel name and shared ownership through the same offshore firms. Edgar Tung, the former CEO of Esquel Group, served as an owner's representative for the three manufacturers. The firms supplied global brands including Muji and Rodd & Gunn, both of which stated they were unaware of the connection to Esquel.

Despite the enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, data indicates that only a small fraction of apparel shipments from Vietnam were detained for inspection during this period.