The 9th International Exhibition of Shipbuilding, Shipping and Offshore Technology (Vietship 2018) opened at the National Convention Centre in Ha Noi on Wednesday.

The three-day event will witness the participation of nearly 100 businesses, including those from foreign countries with developed maritime industries, such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore and China, as well as India, Germany, the US, Norway and the Netherlands.

In his speech at the event’s opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Cong described the event as a good opportunity for Vietnamese shipbuilders to update latest information about the global shipbuilding industry to revise business strategies and seek new cooperation opportunities.

The exhibition also hosts the Vietship 2018 Buyer Forum, which is designed to provide buyers, sellers and manufacturers exclusive one-on-one meetings to gain a better understanding of each other’s capabilities and seek partnerships for future businesses on the same day, said Cao Thanh Dong, acting director of the Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, which has organised the event.

A conference discussing the challenges and opportunities for domestic shipping and shipbuilding market will be held on Thursday on the sidelines of the event, Dong said.

Vietship is the largest and oldest established exhibition in Viet Nam featuring all aspects of shipbuilding, shipping and offshore technology. This year’s event is expected to attract more than 10,000 visitors. — VNS