More than 100 domestic and foreign companies are showcasing their products at the seventh Viet Nam Furniture and Furnishing Fair that opened in HCM City on November 24.

On display in 477 booths are outdoor and indoor furniture, handicrafts and home decor, household appliances, garden decor, gifts, souvenirs, and consultancy for equipment, materials, designs and architecture.

Many exhibitors are offering attractive discounts on export-quality furniture and interior and exterior furnishing items.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyen Chien Thang, chairman of Hawa Corporation, one of the organisers, said VIFA Home 2016 is expected to be a good place for domestic firms involved in wood working and interior decoration to promote their brands domestically.

"The wood products on display are all made from legal timber," he said.

Pham Thanh Kien, director of the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade, said the wood processing sector is included in the Government’s industrial master plan for until 2020, which provides it a good opportunity to develop and make Viet Nam the world’s wood processing factory.

Domestic demand is expected to increase by more than 10 per cent this year from last year’s $1.3 billion, according to the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City.

The expo, organised jointly by the association at the Phu Tho Sport Centre in District 11, closes on November 27. — VNS