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| Staff members of a local handicraft business arrange products for display at Expo 2010 in HCMC - Photo: Le Toan |
Expo 2010 features the latest goods at 700 booths of 300 domestic and foreign companies in the wood processing and handicraft sectors, the same numbers as last year’s event.
Tran Vinh Nhung, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Industry and Trade, an organizer of the 10th annual furniture and handicraft trade promotion event, said the exhibition would provide local exporters with the opportunity to reach out to more international clients.
Small and medium enterprises in the country that have little chance to attend international trade fairs can find it affordable to join a local trade show of international magnitude, Nhung said.
For the furniture and handicraft sectors, the Expo has since 2003 built a reputation among Vietnamese and international enterprises as a destination for local exporters and foreign importers.
The event helped to spur furniture and handicraft export revenue from US$590 million in 2001 to US$3.04 billion last year. The figure is expected to rise to US$4.5 billion this year.
Do Thang Hai, head of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said the agency had promoted the event in renowned magazines such as Cens Furniture-China, Southeast Asia Furniture Manufacturers and Exporters Directory 2010, Furniture Singapore, Furniture On Wednesday and Heritage, as well as at exhibitions in the U.S., Germany and Japan.
The organizers of Expo 2010, just as last year, will introduce additional services for enterprises joining the program. Businesses, including those without a booth at the exhibition, can join the online fair Online Expo at www.hcmcexpo.com.vn.
The Online Expo 2010 has attracted over 800 woodwork and handicraft enterprises nationwide showcasing around 7,000 products, up 21% and 40% from last year respectively.
Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang has decided to reward 13 local organizations, including Saigon Times Group as the only media outlet in the country, for their outstanding contributions to promoting furniture and handicraft export over the past decade.
The award ceremony will take place at the inauguration of Expo 2010 on Wednesday.
The even is held annually by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the HCMC government, the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency and the city’s Department of Industry and Trade.
The Expo became a fair specializing in furniture and handicraft promotion in 2004.
Saigon Times Group has been actively cooperating with the city’s Department of Industry and Trade to promote the woodworking and handicraft industries at home and abroad over the years.
