The 15th Viet Nam International Trade Fair (Vietnam Expo 2017) opened in HCM City on Wednesday.

On display are electrical and electronic equipment, tech toys, industrial machinery, construction materials, hand tools, interior and exterior decoration items, food and beverages, and beauty products.

Speaking at the opening, Pham Van Khanh, director of the Viet Nam National Trade Fair and Advertising Joint Stock Company (VINEXAD) Saigon, the organiser, said Vietnam Expo features 800 booths set up by companies from 16 countries and territories, including Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Taiwan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, mainland China, Spain, Italy, and Viet Nam.

For the past 14 years the fair has been a bridge connecting Vietnamese and international businesses, allowing them to meet, discuss business co-operation and promote trade and investment, he said.

Several business meeting and seminars are scheduled on its sidelines, such as a business meeting between Vietnamese and Chinese mechanical engineering firms, a seminar on co-operation with China’s Tianjin and Hebei provinces and Beijing, and a dialogue on the quality of infrastructure for the future of Asia, he said.

The 2017 Vietnam Hardware and Hand Tools Expo is being held at the same venue, Nguyen Van Nga, deputy director of the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency, said.

This has attracted more than 200 local and foreign companies specializing in metal tools, building hardware, fasteners, securities, locks and fittings, and will also feature commercial programmes and seminars.

The two expos, on at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in District 7, will go on until December 9 and are expected to welcome more than 15,000 visitors. — VNS