Visitors at the Zhejiang International Trade Exhibition that opened on Thursday) in HCM City. VNS Photo Thu Hằng

HCM CITY — The annual Việt Nam International Trade Fair in HCM City opened in HCM City on Thursday with 250 firms putting up 350 booths.

The exhibition has for the first time remote booths for foreign businesses.

Nguyễn Vân Nga, director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Agency for Southern Affairs, said the combination of physical and remote booths is an initiative to maintain international trade promotion and safe business links amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Việt Nam Expo has a bridging role in promoting trade and investment and expanding markets in HCM City and the southern region, she told the opening ceremony.

The participation of localities such as Đà Nẵng City and provinces like Yên Bái, Hải Dương and Nghệ An presented huge efforts of local trade promotion agencies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she added.

The fair has four exhibition zones, the International Pavilion, Hardware and Hand Tools, Machinery and Electronics, and Gardening Technology and Landscaping Design.

The International Pavilion features South Korean, Indonesian and Chinese exhibitors.

The Zhejiang International Trade Exhibition opened on the same day at the same venue, the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre, with 100 physical and remote booths showcasing well-known industries in the province like machinery, electronics, construction materials, interiors, hand tools, textiles, and others.

The expos, organised by the Việt Nam National Trade Fair & Advertising Company, or Vinexad, will run until Saturday.  —VNS