HCM CITY — More than 200 local exporters with 700 booths are showcasing their latest designs in home decor items and giftware at the 2nd International Viet Nam Home Decor and Gifts Fair, LifeStyle Viet Nam 2011, which opened yesterday in HCM City.
The annual event attracted more than 1,350 importers of home decor items and gifts from 28 countries and territories, including 400 Japanese companies, 150 from the US, 100 from Australia and more than 300 from Europe, said Do Nhu Dinh, chairman of the Viet Nam Handicraft Exporters Association (Vietcraft).
Vietcraft, the organiser of the fair, said it wanted to raise the profile of LifeStyle Viet Nam as a major international fair in Southeast Asia for home decor items and gifts by 2015.
The fair helped local exporters, particularly handicraft makers, connect with new buyers and create new business relations, Dinh said.
"Being mainly export-oriented, the Vietnamese handicrafts sector is internationally recognised as one of the most competitive suppliers," said Koen Oosterom, senior technical adviser with the International Trade Centre.
"To give an example, Viet Nam is second only to China as an exporter of home decor items to the EU," he said.
Increased export sales would directly contribute to job creation and increase in income for thousands of families participating in handicraft production as local production of home decor items remained predominantly handmade, he said.
It would also contribute significantly to the raisingof the competitiveness of Viet Nam as a top exporter of home decor items, he added.
Seminars on sustainable production and 2012 trends in home decor and gifts for the Australian, Japanese, the US and European markets are also being held.
The event at the Tan Binh Exhibition and Convention Centre in Tan Binh District will end on Thursday. — VNS