"ProPak Vietnam 2016 is the biggest since its launch in 2005," BT Tee, deputy chief of the Viet Nam representative office of Singapore Exhibition Services, the organiser, told a press conference on Wednesday, referring to the processing and packaging exhibition.

"The exhibition has progressively grown through the years and is a positive reflection of Viet Nam's industrial growth."

There will be 350 exhibitors this year and seven international pavilions from China, Italy, Germany, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

They will showcase processing and packaging equipment and machinery, packaging materials and accessories, processing and packaging services, and quality control and training.

There will also be a series of conferences and workshops like the Food Safety, Processing and Packaging Innovations conference hosted by the Viet Nam Association of Food Science and Technology, and a seminar on Trace Chemicals Monitoring, Control and Removal Techniques in Water Used in the Food Processing Industry hosted by the Viet Nam Association of Testing Laboratory.

The Plastics and Rubber Vietnam 2016, the other exhibition, comes at a time when manufacturing activity in the country is robust, driving consumption of plastic products in diverse industries ranging from automobiles and electronics to packaging, according to the organisers.

The biennial event will see the largest ever Austrian pavilion in the region besides six other country groups from Italy, Germany, China, South Korea, and the UK.

According to organisers, ProPak Vietnam and Plastics & Rubber Vietnam will attract 510 trade exhibitors, 79 per cent of them foreign, and around 14,000 visitors.

They will be held at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center from March 1 to 3. — VNS