Some 150 local and foreign enterprises are taking part in the Vietnam International Furniture & Home Accessories Fair 2010 (VIF 2010) which opened in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday.

The fair was held by the Ho Chi Minh City Handicraft and Wood Industry Association in an effort to help Vietnamese wood processing and handicraft enterprises recover and increase exports.

At the event, domestic and foreign companies from Malaysia, Singapore, the UK and China will exhibit their products at 600 booths.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Thanh Bien stressed that with high-quality and competitive products, Vietnam is one of two leading wood exporters in the Southeast Asian region, adding that Vietnam’s wood products have been introduced in 120 countries and territories worldwide.

VIFA 2010 also includes business activities, workshops and seminars such as “The Furniture Industry in Germany: Is the Crisis Over, or Are Times Getting Harder?” by the editor-in-chief of Moebel Mark magazine, “New Technology in Finishing Wood Products” by Bayer Vietnam, and “Legal and Environment Requirements of EU and US Furniture Markets” by the Vietnamese-Germany Forestry Co-operation Programme (GTZ).

VIFA 2009 welcomed 15,000 visitors from 59 countries and territories and helped participating companies seek contracts worth US$70 million. (VNA)