A booth at the Food & Hotel Vietnam 2015. — VNS Photo

The biennial Food & Hotel Vietnam, the country's leading international food and hospitality trade exhibition, which is held in April, has attracted many exhibitors from around the world seeking to tap the promising Vietnamese market.

This year’s event will have more than 10,000sq.m of space and feature more than 520 local and international exhibitors from 31 countries and territories, BT Tee, general manager of UBM VES, one of the expo’s organisers, said.

It would also feature 20 international group pavilions, the highest number ever, he said.

There would be a wide range of food and beverage products, including fresh fruits and fruit products, meat, poultry, seafood, tea, coffee, food ingredients and additives, milk and dairy products besides equipment and services for the food and hospitality industry, he said.

The expo will also see culinary and barista competitions, conferences on hotel investment and business in Viet Nam and other topics.

Briefing the press in HCM City on April 12, Tran Viet Dung, deputy director of VCCI Exhibition Service Co., Ltd, the local organiser of the event, said Viet Nam’s population of more than 90 million make the food and beverage sectors appealing to local and international investors.

The sectors are expected to maintain an annual growth rate of more than 10 per cent through 2020, he said.

With the tourism industry in robust health, the number of foreign visitors keeps rising, increasing demand for hospitality and food equipment and services, he said.

Didier Lachize, general manager of New Viet Diary, a distributor for several global food industry players, said his company would exhibit more than 500 products from around 20 countries at the show, including organic food products.

Global organic consumption has increased strongly in recent years and the trend would continue, he said.

Food & Hotel Vietnam 2017 will be held from April 25 to 27 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre — VNS