Expo 2010 kicks off in city on Wednesday

Staff members of a local handicraft business arrange products for display at Expo 2010 in HCMC - Photo: Le Toan

HCMC – The International Furniture & Handicraft Fair and Exhibition 2010, or Expo 2010, starts on Wednesday at the HCMC Exhibition and Convention Center in Tan Binh District, helping local exporters build business links with foreign customers.

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.

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Seminar seeks to increase handicraft exports to Japan

Vietnamese ceramic products will be the highlight of a week-long festival in the southern province of Binh Duong in September

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Vietnamese businesses need to pay more attention to designing and creating unique handicraft products in order to boost exports to the Japanese market and increase their competitiveness over rivals from China, India and Myanmar, say Japanese experts.

At a seminar on increasing handicraft exports to the Japanese market, held in Hanoi Thursday, Setsuko Okura, Managing Director of the Japanese company Osmic Ltd, said that after becoming more competitive and attractive, many Vietnamese handicrafts have become popular in the Japanese market.

The use of Vietnam’s embroidered bags has also become trendy with young Japanese people.

She stated that in recent years, the design of Vietnamese ceramic and lacquer products has been vastly improved. However, to penetrate deeper into the Japanese market, Vietnamese handicrafts must ensure two factors: design and price.

According to Takata, a leading Japanese designer, besides these two factors, Vietnam’s handicraft products must be unique and decorative.

He suggested that the Vietnamese government should introduce strategies to train designers and encourage Vietnamese students to study design in Japan to ascertain Japanese consumers’ tastes.

At the seminar, several Japanese experts chose 10 Vietnamese handicraft producers to attend an exhibition themed “Lifestyle Vietnam ” in Tokyo from November 30 to December 9 this year.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Japan is one of Vietnam ’s major handicraft importers and is expected to import US$150 million worth of Vietnamese handicrafts this year, accounting for 4 percent of the country’s total handicraft import value.

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Seminar seeks to increase handicraft exports to Japan

Vietnamese businesses need to pay more attention to designing and
creating unique handicraft products in order to boost exports to the
Japanese market and increase their competitiveness over rivals from
China , India and Myanmar , say Japanese experts.

At a seminar on increasing handicraft exports to the Japanese market,
held in Hanoi on September 9, Setsuko Okura, Managing Director of the
Japanese company Osmic Ltd, said that after becoming more competitive
and attractive, many Vietnamese handicrafts have become popular in the
Japanese market. The use of Vietnam ’s embroidered bags has also
become trendy with young Japanese people.

She
stated that in recent years, the design of Vietnamese ceramic and
lacquer products has been vastly improved. However, to penetrate deeper
into the Japanese market, Vietnamese handicrafts must ensure two
factors: design and price.

According to Takata, a
leading Japanese designer, besides these two factors, Vietnam ’s
handicraft products must be unique and decorative.

He suggested that the Vietnamese government should introduce strategies
to train designers and encourage Vietnamese students to study design in
Japan to ascertain Japanese consumers’ tastes.

At the seminar, several Japanese experts chose 10 Vietnamese
handicraft producers to attend an exhibition themed “Lifestyle Vietnam ”
in Tokyo from November 30 to December 9 this year.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade , Japan is one of
Vietnam ’s major handicraft importers and is expected to import 150
million USD worth of Vietnamese handicrafts this year, accounting for 4
percent of the country’s total handicraft import value./.

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