International firms showcase furniture at HCM City expo
International firms showcase furniture at HCM City expo
A wide range of indoor and outdoor furniture, handicrafts, equipment and tools for wood processing are on display at the VIFA EXPO 2014 that opened yesterday in HCM City.
The seventh Viet Nam International Furniture and Home Accessories Fair features 640 booths representing over 140 local and international exhibitors from 10 countries and territories, including Belgium, Denmark, Australia, China, South Korea and Japan.
The fair, which combines two annual wooden furniture fairs, VIFA and EXPO, also includes two seminars, one on the latest safety regulations and standards for wood products exported to the US, and the other on solutions to develop the domestic furniture design industry.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyen Thi Hong, deputy chairwoman of the HCM City People's Committee, said despite economic difficulties worldwide, Viet Nam's wooden furniture industry achieved US$5.56 billion from exports last year, a year-on-year increase of 19.2 per cent.
VIFA EXPO 2014 is an opportunity for trade promotion, bringing local and international enterprises together for more trade cooperation and exchange, she said.
"The fair will also provide businesses an opportunity to access latest wood processing technology as well as receive feedback and ideas from consumers, distributors and buyers so they can meet market demand better," she added.
Besides making efforts to expand export markets, she said "domestic wood processing firms should focus on promoting their products in the domestic market".
It is organised by the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade, the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City and Hawa Corporation.
It will end on Friday at the Sai Gon Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Van Lang University student wins furniture design contest
Nguyen Thi Huong Linh of Van Lang University won first prize in the furniture design competition Apricot Blossom 2013-14, which was organised by the HCMC Handicraft and Wood Industry Association (HAWA).
Tran Le Duy Khanh, a student from Saigon Technology University and Le Van Giang from HCM City-based Viet Tin Company, took the first and second runners-up prizes respectively.
The organiser also presented five consolation prizes for having best application, most creative, most environmentally-friendly, most commercial and most aesthetic designs.
Winning works are on display at the Viet Nam International Furniture and Home Accessories Fair 2014 (VIFA EXPO 2014) at the Sai Gon Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Launched in September last year, the competition, which aims to discover Vietnamese young talent that can generate new ideas to boost development of the domestic furniture industry, attracted 152 contestants from design schools and employees of furniture companies nationwide.
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