Vũ Bá Phú, director general of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency.

Vũ Bá Phú, director general of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, spoke to the media about the First Glorious Spring Fair 2026. It will take place at the Vietnam Exposition Centre (VEC) in Đông Anh Commune, Hà Nội, from February 2 to 13. Themed 'Connecting Prosperity – Welcoming a Glorious Spring', the fair is expected to boost domestic consumption, support businesses and help stabilise prices during the peak Tết (Lunar New Year) shopping season.

Following the success of the first Golden Autumn Fair 2025, what is the significance of the Glorious Spring Fair in sustaining growth momentum, stimulating consumption and stabilising the Tết market and how will the ministry support businesses before, during and after the event?

The Glorious Spring Fair 2026 is organised to implement the Prime Minister’s directives on achieving economic growth targets for 2026 and to develop a professional, systematic series of national-level trade promotion events, which aim to stimulate consumption and expand domestic market and support production and business towards developing an independent and self-reliant economy following Politburo’s Resolution 59.

The event is expected to boost consumption through concentrated, large-scale retail spaces featuring high-quality Vietnamese products and regional specialties at reasonable prices, while directly connecting producers, distributors and consumers to expand market access and promote Vietnamese brands.

To achieve the best results, the ministry will support businesses throughout all stages of the fair, including large-scale media campaigns and infrastructure support ahead of the event, intensive supply-demand matching and trade promotion activities during the fair and post-event follow-up to help enterprises maintain partnerships and convert trade promotion results into sustainable business outcomes.

The Glorious Spring Fair 2026 is described not only as a trade event but also as an important political task. How are political, economic and cultural elements integrated into this year’s fair?

At the Glorious Spring Fair 2026, political, economic and cultural objectives are closely intertwined to create the difference.

Politically, the event reflects strong, unified direction from the Government and coordinated participation by ministries, sectors and local authorities, demonstrating the Party and the Government’s determination in facilitating market development and supporting businesses. This also highlights a new governance approach in which the State plays a facilitating and guiding role, accompanying businesses in trade promotion, market development and international integration for export growth.

The economic element is the core of the fair, reflected in its national scale, value-chain-based exhibitions and supply-demand linkages connecting production with distribution, and the domestic market with international markets. It opens space for enterprises to promote products, seek partners, expand markets and attract investment and technology, thereby contributing to economic growth, market stability and enhancing the role of the private sector in the new development phase.

Culturally, the fair integrates rich and vivid elements through spaces recreating traditional Tết celebrations, regional Tết customs, cultural zones, craft villages, cuisine, arts and cultural industries. Culture not only creates a festive spring atmosphere but also acts as a catalyst for trade promotion, helping promote the image of Việt Nam and its people while enhancing the value and competitiveness of Vietnamese products at home and abroad.

Overall, the harmonious combination of political, economic and cultural elements is a defining feature of the Glorious Spring Fair 2026, making it not only a commercial event but also one with broad domestic and external significance, helping spread confidence, inspire development aspirations and strengthen Việt Nam’s position in the international integration process.

Visitors at the Golden Autumn Fair 2025. The Glorious Spring Fair 2026 is expected to boost domestic consumption, support businesses and help stabilise prices during Tết. — VNA/VNS Photo Trần Việt

The Glorious Spring Fair 2026 takes place during the peak Tết shopping season. Beyond product diversity, how do you assess the effectiveness of consumption stimulus programmes in helping consumers shop with confidence?

We place strong focus on the effectiveness of consumption stimulus programmes to ensure that visitors can not only shop all what they need but also shop with confidence.

First, stimulus programmes are implemented in a focused and coordinated manner, closely linked with quality control. All products participating in the fair are Vietnamese goods with clear origins, meeting quality standards, food safety and reasonable pricing. Many enterprises are also offering Tết promotions, discounts and price-stabilisation programmes.

Second, the fair helps shorten intermediary stages by directly connecting producers, distributors and consumers. This enables enterprises to cut operating and consignment costs by around 15-20 per cent, with these savings passed on to consumers through lower prices. As a result, prices at the fair are more competitive, while transparency is improved and consumer trust in domestic goods is strengthened, especially in the context that consumers are paying increasing attention to product quality and origin.

Third, stimulus programmes are combined with communication, product experience and consultancy, allowing people to access full information on products, sales policies, after-sales services and business commitments. This is an important factor in helping consumers feel secure when making purchases, especially when overall purchasing power remains under pressure.

Consumption stimulus programmes not only bring immediate benefits during the Tết period but also help stabilise market sentiment, reinforce consumer confidence and create momentum for production and business activities from the very beginning of the year.

What are your expectations for the Glorious Spring Fair in 2026 and how will the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency develop a professional, modern and sustainable national fair system in the future?

If the Golden Autumn Fair 2025 was the opening shot, the Glorious Spring Fair 2026 represents a significant upgrade and a decisive step in implementing the Government’s resolutions and directives on achieving economic growth targets for 2026.

While the Golden Autumn Fair recorded transactions of around VNĐ1 trillion (US$38.4 million) under normal market conditions, the Glorious Spring Fair 2026, held over 12 peak Tết shopping days, is expected to set a new revenue high as spending typically doubles or triples during Tết. With the participation of about 2,500 enterprises and some 3,000 booths, total transaction value is forecast to rise sharply.

The fair is also expected to promote the 'Vietnamese people prioritise Vietnamese products' campaign, closely linked with patriotism, national pride and confidence. Vietnamese products should no longer be seen merely as items requiring preferential support, but as high-quality, premium goods fully deserving of consumer trust. The fair symbolises prosperity, where enterprises can boost revenues and consumers can experience the best values of domestic products during the Tết shopping period.

For the long term, Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency identifies the development of a national fair and exhibition system as a key task to enhance the effectiveness of trade promotion both domestically and internationally.

Accordingly, focus would be on standardising national fair models with professionalism and distinct branding, accelerating digital transformation across all stages of fair operations, strengthening linkages with national trade promotion, domestic market development, national branding and export promotion programmes, and encouraging the participation from the private sector, industry associations and localities.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade targets to gradually develop a professional, modern, efficient and sustainable national fair and exhibition system to play role as important trade promotion infrastructure to support businesses, develop markets and advance Việt Nam’s international economic integration. — VNS