Ribbon cutting ceremony to launch the "Hanoi - Vietnam" Pavilion.

STOCKHOLM — In order to support Hanoi-based businesses in understanding global market trends, expanding export markets, and promoting handicrafts, traditional village products, as well as Hanoi’s OCOP items in Europe and worldwide, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinated with the Trade Office and Embassy of Vietnam in Sweden to organise trade promotion at the Formex International Handicraft Fair 2024 in Sweden from August 27 to 29.

The Formex International Handicraft Fair 2024 is the largest fair of the year in Northern Europe, with the participation of national pavilions from various countries, including the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, France, Spain, Germany, Colombia, Japan, and Qatar, among others. The fair brings together artisans, manufacturers, and distributors from countries around the world.

With a rich history of over 64 years, the Formex Fair in Sweden is a prestigious and traditional annual event in Europe, attracting over 3,000 businesses from more than 100 countries. Over one million visitors attend the fair for direct transactions and shopping, while approximately 37,300 people receive information about Formex through Instagram, and 61,000 through the fair's newsletter. The fair provides opportunities for networking, product introduction, and brand licensing cooperation between Hanoi-based businesses and the European and global markets.

At the Fair, the delegation of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, together with Vice President and Secretary General of the Vietnam Handicraft Exporters Association Le Ba Ngoc, Vietnamese Ambassador to Sweden Tran Van Tuan, Trade Counselor at Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden (concurrently in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Latvia) Nguyen Thi Hoang Thuy, Prof. Claus - Lund University (Sweden), Mimmi Bergström - International Council of Swedish Industry, and former Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Rolf Bergman, cut the ribbon to launch the “Hanoi – Vietnam” Pavilion.

Hanoi Pavilion at the Formex International Handicraft Fair 2024 in Sweden, aiming to support Hanoi-based businesses.

The Hanoi Pavilion at the fair is uniquely designed with the theme “Hanoi Craft Villages – Traditional Values – Modern Design”, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of Thang Long – Dong Do – Hanoi – Vietnam. This is an activity to support Hanoi-based businesses to display, introduce, and promote export for handicrafts, traditional village products, gift items, and Hanoi’s OCOP items in Sweden, Europe, as well as with international visitors at the Fair.

With an area of 90sq.m, the Hanoi Pavilion brings together ten businesses that specialize in strong export-oriented products, with competitive potential for the Swedish, Northern European, and European markets. These products include decorative ceramics, household ceramics; decorations, kitchenware; handmade blankets, decorative pillows, handbags, wallets, fabric coasters, fabric placemats, fabric accessories; Christmas decorations; trays, boxes, baskets, lampshades, mirrors of all kinds made from materials such as rattan, bamboo, straw, and water hyacinth; silk products, such as face towels, bath towels, scarves, silk terry cloth, silk curtains, silk bed linens, etc.

In addition to participating in the exhibition, Hanoi-based businesses also attended forums, conferences, and workshops alongside the Formex International Handicraft Fair 2024 in Sweden. These events covered various topics, allowing participants to gain professional insights into international brand building, product promotion strategies, and current trends in handicraft and gift product design worldwide.

Within the framework of the Fair, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development organised a workshop for business networking between Hanoi-based businesses and companies in the distribution systems of Europe, Northern Europe, and Sweden.

Within the framework of the Fair, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development organised a workshop for business networking between Hanoi-based businesses and companies in the distribution systems of Europe, Northern Europe, and Sweden. Attending the workshop were Nguyen Thi Hoang Thuy, Trade Counselor, at Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden (concurrently in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Latvia), Prof. Claus - Lund University, Mimmi Bergström - International Council of Swedish Industry, and Rolf Bergman - former Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam. On the Vietnamese side, there were Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Dinh Hoa, the Hanoi delegation, Hanoi-based businesses, and Vice President and Secretary General of the Vietnam Handicraft Exporters Association Le Ba Ngoc.

At the workshop, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hanoi (Vietnam) signed a cooperation programme with Lund University (Sweden) for design collaboration in 2025.

At the workshop, the Hanoi delegation provided an overview of the city’s craft villages and showcased over 500 exquisite products represented by ten businesses specialising in various craft villages. Notably, a significant collaboration was forged during the event: the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Vietnam) signed a cooperation programme with Lund University (Sweden) for design collaboration in 2025. This programme aims to detail joint efforts in designing product models that meet the export demands of the European market. The university’s leadership and European businesses were also invited to participate in an international craft preservation and development festival organised by Hanoi in 2025.

The Formex International Handicraft Fair 2024 in Sweden serves as a gateway for Vietnam businesses, especially those from Hanoi, to market their products, enhance exports, and participate in distribution chains in the European market and other countries. Photos courtesy of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

The article is published under the coordination of the Coordination Office of the New-Style Rural Development Programme in Hà Nội. — VNS