The first virtual Viet Nam Sourcing Expo on “Build and Home Decor” has been launched in Australia. — Photo of Trade Office of Viet Nam in Australia

A home expo between Viet Nam and Australia has been launched to boost and diversify the already thriving trade between the two countries.

Held virtually, Viet Nam Sourcing Expo on “Build and Home Decor” seeks to open doors to further trade between Viet Nam and Australia.

The expo is among a series of events of the Viet Nam Sourcing Expo, which runs from December 17 – 31. There will be other expos on Viet Nam’s agricultural and fishery products, textile-garment and footwear, healthcare and support for companies in central Viet Nam to seek market and recover production.

The event brings together about 300 Vietnamese enterprises.

Head of the Trade Office of Viet Nam in Australia Nguyen Phu Hoa, who is also the event’s organiser, said since the beginning of this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected trade and disrupted direct connection among international partners. In Australia, the pandemic-induced disruption has caused an increase in the number of Australian firms seeking new foreign partners to diversify their sources of supply, he said.

The Trade Office of Viet Nam in Australia has accelerated promotion activities, particularly for agriculture and labour-intensive sectors to help Vietnamese firms gain broader access to the largest market in the Oceania, Hoa added.

Viet Nam’s exports to Australia rose by 2.1 per cent year-on-year in the first 10 months of 2020, with significant growth reported in fruits and vegetables (49.61 per cent), confectionery and cereals (19.46 per cent), wood and wood products (11 per cent), and fishery products (4.78 per cent), despite the fact that Australia’s domestic supply also increased sharply this year. — VNS