Organisers give away the first Veneer Award for furniture design to the two winners. — VNS photo Xuan Huong

HCM CITY (VNS) — Two HCM City university students have shared the first Veneer Award for innovative furniture design using wood veneer.

 

Dang Truong Vu of Ton Duc Thang University and Tran Le Duy Khanh of Saigon Technology University received scholarships for a design course at RMIT University in Australia.

Instituted by the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City (Hawa) and the Viet Nam-Germany Forestry Programme and an Australian Government project called "Enhancement of veneer products from acacia and eucalyptus plantation in Viet Nam and Australia," the award is aimed at promoting veneer use and innovation in the wood processing industry.

It also seeks to help the wood processing industry shift from using solid wood to veneer, making Viet Nam's furniture and interior design industry more competitive, Huynh Van Hanh, Hawa's standing vice chairman, said.

Veneer refers to a thin slice of wood glued to an inferior material, which could be wood or metal.

The organisers received 47 entries from companies, freelance designers, and others.

The winning works are on display at the Viet Nam Furniture and Home Furnishing Fair (VIFA Home 2014) at the Tan Binh Exhibition and Convention Centre from November 6 to 9.

VIFA Home 2014, which seeks to promote locally made furniture, home decor, and handicraft products in the domestic market, has attracted 115 local and foreign firms, 20 per cent more than last year. — VNS