HCM CITY — A wide range of furniture, handicrafts, interior décor products and support services are on display at the Việt Nam International Furniture and Home Accessories Fair, VIFA Expo 2018, which opened in HCM City yesterday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyễn Quốc Khanh, chairman of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City (Hawa), one of the organisers, said the event has attracted 450 local and foreign enterprises, 29 per cent and 43 per cent more than last year.

Foreign exhibitors account for a third of all booths, he said.

They are from Singapore, Taiwan, the US, Australia, Russia, Canada, mainland China, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, and New Zealand.

To serve an estimated 4,000 international visitors, the association has signed an agreement with the HCM City Tourism Association to assist them with hotels, transport, visas, travel, and other arrangements, Khanh said.

Permanent Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hà Công Tuấn said the wood industry has enjoyed average growth of more than 10 per cent in recent years and still has a lot of steam left.

The National Assembly amended the Forestry Law last year, supplementing articles on wood processing and recognising the wood industry’s role, he said.

The Government has promised consistent policies and support for businesses in the wood processing, handicrafts and supporting industries, he added.

After growing at 10.2 per cent last year exports of wood and wood products were worth US$7.66 billion, the target figure for 2020.

The forestry industry is aiming for $9 billion this year, with wood and wooden products accounting for $8.5-8.7 billion.

To achieve the target, enterprises need to focus on technological innovation, especially automation, invest in improving human resources and management, and expand export markets, Tuấn said.

Organised by the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade, Hawa, and Hawa Corporation, the fair, being held at the Sài Gòn Exhibition and Convention Centre, will go on until March 10.

Hoa Mai Prizes

At the opening ceremony Hawa announced the winners of its Hoa Mai Prize for furniture design for 2017-18.

Nguyễn Thị Huyền Trang, a student at HCM City University of Architecture, won the first prize for her Giao thoa (interference) desk.

Lê Đình Chung of Tôn Đức Thắng University and Ngô Như Quỳnh of Văn Lang University won the first and second runner-up prizes for their roly light and modern desk.

Hawa also gave away six consolation prizes for the best functional, marketable, aesthetic, creative and unique, eco-friendly, and technical designs.

The winning works are on display at the VIFA EXPO.

Launched last year, the 15^th edition of the competition, which seeks to discover and foster talented designers to develop the furniture industry, attracted 191 entries from 179 contestants. — VNS