The Vietnam International Furniture and Home Accessories Fair (VIFA EXPO), the biggest trade event in the country’s wood and furniture industry, will be held in HCM City next week, offering industry executives the chance to network and explore business opportunities.

The fair will feature 975 booths set up by 34 Vietnamese companies and 141 foreign exhibitors from 12 countries and territories, including Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the US, said Dang Quoc Hung, director of HAWA Corporation, one of the organisers of the fair.

The fair will showcase brand-new and diverse products, from wooden furniture and indoor and outdoor furniture (sofas, tables, chairs, beds, cabinets and kitchen furniture) to home decor items (pictures, vases, lamps, blankets, pillows, mattresses, and curtains), handicrafts (lacquerware, and products made from water hyacinth and rattan), gifts and souvenirs, and timber and woodworking machinery, he said.

It will also include seminars, including one on digital applications in export activity.

Nguyen Chanh Phuong, deputy chairman of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City (HAWA), said Viet Nam’s wood and furniture exports have enjoyed an annual growth of at least 8-9 per cent since 2009, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But exports decreased in recent months due to the impact of high inflation, especially in the US and EU, which account for around 70 per cent of Viet Nam’s total wood and furniture exports, he said.

The return of the fair after nearly three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to help local exhibitors promote their products to the world and seek new business opportunities, he said.

Hung said the first VIFA-EXPO was organised in 2008 with 500 booths, rising to over 2,400 booths in 2019.

HAWA Corporation has received nearly 2,000 registered visitors, of which international visitors account for 79 per cent, he said.

Tran Van Quang, production manager of Khanh Xuong Company, said his company has participated in VIFA-EXPO seven times since 2013, and had new export orders signed right at the exhibition or after the event. So his company will continue to join in the fair this year to introduce his new products and seek new potential customers.

Tran Hoai Huu, a member of the board of directors of Gia Nhien Company, appreciated the fair, saying that his company expects to get many orders from the fair as after nearly three years of COVID-19 disruptions, many buyers will come to look for new supply sources.

Organised by the city Department of Industry and Trade, HAWA and HAWA Corporation, the fair will be held at the Sai Gon Exhibition and Convention Centre from August 31 to September 3.

In 2023, VIFA EXPO will be held twice, in March and in August. — VNS