Visitors at the 2019 Vietnam Medi-Pharm Expo in HCM City. Photo courtesy of Vinexad JSC

HCM CITY — An international medical, hospital and pharmaceutical exhibition will take place from August 11 to 13 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in HCM City.

Vietnam Medi-Pharm Expo is set to attract more than 260 exhibitors from 20 countries and territories including Poland, Russia, Japan, Pakistan, France, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Switzerland, Australia, and China.

Turkey will participate for the first time with a national pavilion along with others from India, Germany, South Korea, and Malaysia.

The event will feature two seminars on the Vietnamese medical equipment market and digital transformation in health to provide foreign businesses with information about the country’s healthcare market and regulations on import and trading of medical products.

There will be a B2B matching event.

With its annual growth rate of 18 per cent and valued at US$1.5 billion, Việt Nam’s medical devices market is one of the most promising sectors for foreign investors, Hứa Phú Doãn, deputy chairman of the HCM City Medical Equipment Association, said.

The country imports more than 90 per cent of its medical devices, he said at a press briefing on Monday.

Many manufacturers from Japan, South Korea and Europe are looking to enter Việt Nam to tap its burgeoning market, he said.

He suggested that the country needs an industrial park specialising in medical devices to attract foreign investment flows and enhance R&D in the industry.

The expo is organised by Vinexad JSC in collaboration with the association. — VNS