A booth displaying industrial parts at the 2020 Vietnam Supporting Industry Fair and Vietnam International Machinery Fair being held in HCM City from ThDecember 17 to 19. — VNS Photo

HCM CITY —  Five exhibitions, the Vietnam International Machinery Fair,  Vietnam Supporting Industry Fair, Vietnam International Retailtech and Franchise Show, Việt Nam International Premium Products Fair, and Vietnam International Maternity Baby and Kids Fair, opened in HCM City on Thursday.

Nguyễn Phương Đông, deputy director of the city's Department of Industry and Trade, said the Việt Nam International Machinery Fair and the Vietnam Supporting Industry Fair have around 250 booths set up by local and foreign firms based in Việt Nam.

They have on display supporting industry products, metal products and metalworking solutions, automation solutions and motion control systems, industrial materials and components, electrical equipment, construction machinery, and lifting equipment.

The fairs will also feature other events like a workshop on opportunities to welcome a new investment wave by Vietnamese enterprises post COVID-19 and business matching activities.

“Organising the fairs amid the COVID-19 pandemic is an effort … to help strengthen linkages between Việt Nam’s supporting industry firms and product manufacturers and foreign firms, and enable local firms to grab opportunities to expand market share in both domestic and foreign markets,” Đông said.

Ahn Seong Ho, the South Korean consul general in HCM City, said the exhibitions offer a good opportunity for both Korean and Vietnamese companies to understand consumers’ demand, catch up on market trends and enhance co-operation.

He hoped the fairs would contribute to enhancing trade links between Việt Nam and South Korea.

Bùi Thị Thanh An, head of the Việt Nam Trade Promotion Agency in the south, said, “The fairs offer a good chance for local supporting industries firms to access advanced global technologies and innovation to enhance their production capacity and productivity, which will help them join global supply chains.”

Organised by the city's Supporting Industry Development Centre, the Korea Association of Machinery Industry, Coex Vietnam, and the HCM City Association of Mechanical – Electrical Enterprises, the fairs, on at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in District 7, will run until Saturday. — VNS