Visitors at the Viet Nam International Coffee and Dessert Fair 2016 at HCM City's Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre. –— VNS Photo Xuan Huong

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) — The first Viet Nam International Coffee and Dessert Fair opened on June 8 at Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre, providing an international platform for buyers and sellers to network and explore business opportunities.

The fair, which ends on June 10, features over 200 coffee and dessert brands from 14 countries, with famous brands and companies like Charlie Wemsbley, Nestle, Vovos, Mê Trang, Mac Coffee, Street Coffee, Phuong Vy, Coffee Mr. Brown, Tan Nhat Huong Company, Syrup Mornin and Ly Gia Vien.

During the exhibition, more than 64 talented baristas from coffee shops, restaurants and bars in Viet Nam will compete at a three-day Barista Championship competition, the largest of its kind in Viet Nam.

The winner will have a chance to join the World Super Barista Championship 2017 in Seoul.

Organised by Coex, Korea's biggest exhibition organiser, the Viet Nam Coffee and Cocoa Association and Vinexad, the fair is expected to welcome more than 50,000 visitors.  

Viet Nam, the world's second largest coffee exporter, exports about 1.5 million tonnes of coffee annually to 80 countries and territories, according to Do Ha Nam, chairman of the Viet Nam Coffee and Cocoa Association.

Vietnamese coffee now accounts for 12.5 per cent of coffee market share in South Korea. — VNS