Vietnam gained footwear export revenues of nearly 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in the first five months of this year, up 7.9 percent against the same period of last year.

Vietnam is likely to make footwear export earnings of 3.9-4.1 billion dollars in 2007, up from nearly 3.6 billion dollars in 2006, according to sources from the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (Lefaso) on Friday.

To this end, the Lefaso is encouraging footwear producers in Vietnam to diversify products, and produce more sport and cloth shoes, and slippers.

Vietnamese footwear producers and exporters are also intensifying tapping their three largest markets -- the European Union, the United States and Japan, and boosting export to new ones with big purchasing power like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Russia and Mexico.

Vietnam has planned to reap footwear export revenue of 6.2-6.5 billion dollars in 2010.