The Viet Nam Furniture and Home Furnishing Fair will be held at the Tan Binh Exhibition and Convention Centre from November 14-17.— File Photo

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) – The Viet Nam Furniture and Home Furnishing Fair, designed to promote locally made furniture, home decor and handicraft products in the domestic market, will return to HCM City next week, offering industry professionals opportunities to network and compare notes.

Organised by the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City (Hawa), VIFA Home 2013 will be held at the Tan Binh Exhibition and Convention Centre from November 14-17.

Ninety local firms will display their wares over 435 booths at the fair. The products will include outdoor and indoor furniture, outdoor garden decorations, indoor ornamental trees, architecture consulting services, interior and garden design and construction, support services, gifts, souvenirs, handicraft items and lacquerware.

Speaking to the press in HCM City on Tuesday, Huynh Van Hanh, Hawa's standing vice chairman, said the fair this year was of a bigger scale than last year with greater participation from local businesses.

"Last year, exhibitors signed contracts and directly sold products worth about VND14.5 billion (US$686,715), a very good result. So most of them have registered to participate in this year's fair as well," Hanh said.

The fair is a good chance for local firms to study consumer tastes and expand their distribution network in the domestic market, he added.

The domestic furniture and home decor industry are facing difficulties as the real estate market has not recovered, Hanh said, adding that sales of locally made furniture and handicraft products have reduced from $2.7 billion in 2008 to about $1.7 billion last year.

This year's figure is expected to be the same as last year, he added. — VNS