Delegates cut the ribbon to open the Vietnam International Furniture and Home Accessories Fair (VIFA EXPO) in HCM City on August 31. — VNS Photo

Indoor and outdoor furniture, home decor items, handicrafts, gifts and souvenirs, and other items are on display at the Viet Nam International Furniture and Home Accessories Fair (VIFA EXPO) that opened in HCM City on August 31.

VIFA EXPO, the biggest trade event in the country’s wood and furniture industry, has 975 booths this year set up by 175 exhibitors, Dang Quoc Hung, director of the Alliance Handicraft & Wooden Fine Art Corporation said.

They are from 12 countries and territories – Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the US – besides the host Viet Nam, he said.

Besides showcasing the latest products and technologies, the fair will also include seminars on digital applications in exports and on Canadian timber.

A booth at the VIFA EXPO being held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre from August 31 to September 3. — VNS Photo

The fair has received nearly 2,000 visitor registrations, with foreigners accounting for 79 per cent, he said.

Phung Quoc Man, deputy chairman of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City (HAWA), said exports of wood and wooden products topped US$11.07 billion in the first eight months of the year, a year-on-year increase of 6.2 per cent.

Exports usually increase in the final months of the year, but with the current high inflation in many of Viet Nam’s key export markets and inventory fluctuations, wooden product exports are expected to face challenges, he said.

Hung said the 2023 VIFA EXPO would be held from March 8 to 11, and the organiser has already received registrations from more than 200 enterprises for over 1,600 booths, he said.

Organised by the city Department of Industry and Trade, HAWA and Alliance Handicraft & Wooden Fine Art Corporation, the event at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre will run until September 3. — VNS