HCM CITY — The third Việt Nam ASEAN International Furniture & Home Accessories Fair (VIFA ASEAN 2025) opened in HCM City on Tuesday with more than 200 exhibitors from across Việt Nam and 13 countries and territories, including Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, the US, China, India, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

On display is a wide range of indoor and outdoor furniture, handicrafts, decorative items, raw materials, woodworking machinery, and related services.

Organised by Liên Minh Company, the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and their partners, the fair will also feature seminars on global furniture production and consumption trends to help businesses adjust their development strategies in a changing market.

Nguyễn Văn Dũng, vice chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, told the opening ceremony that the wood and furniture sector has remained a bright spot in the economy, with exports rising by 8.9 per cent year-on-year in the first half of this year.

Furniture and handicrafts are key industries not just nationally and play a pivotal role in the city’s economy, he said.

“VIFA ASEAN is a strategic event, offering a strong platform for enterprises to secure new orders, expand cooperation and connect with global buyers.” 

Vũ Bá Phú, general director of the Việt Nam Trade Promotion Agency, said local businesses have increasingly demonstrated innovation and proactiveness, with many investing in modern processing technologies, managing legal timber sources, promoting digital transformation, and adopting internationally certified raw materials.

These efforts help the industry meet stringent global standards, he said.

But it faces challenges like higher quality requirements, fierce competition from other major exporting countries, pressure to transition to low-carbon production models, and volatile tariff policies such as US reciprocal duties, he said.

“VIFA ASEAN 2025 is not only a showcase of high-quality products but also an important platform that opens up opportunities for cooperation and trade between Vietnamese enterprises and international partners.” 

 

Trần Ngọc Liêm, director of the VCCI’s HCM City branch, warned that Việt Nam’s extreme reliance on the US market is risky.

In the first half of 2025 shipments of wood and wooden products to the US accounted for more than 55 per cent of the industry’s total exports. 

“Diversifying markets is a key strategy,” Liêm said, urging businesses to expand into Japan, China, the EU, Australia and other markets to reduce risks and ensure sustainable growth.

VIFA ASEAN 2025 is seen as a crucial trade promotion platform, helping businesses reach Southeast Asian and other international buyers, seek new orders and build partnerships despite global uncertainties, he added.

Đặng Quốc Hùng, general director of Liên Minh Company, said the fair aims to become a leading global exhibition for the woodworking and handicraft industry.

Huỳnh Thị Phương Vi, CEO of Hiệp Long Fine Furniture Company, an exhibitor specialising in outdoor furniture made from teak and other hardwoods, said: “The US market has stagnated somewhat, but Europe is recovering. Our strategy is not to put all eggs in one basket, so we join in this fair to explore new markets such as Australia and Dubai while continuing to seek more customers in Europe.” 

On at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in Tân Mỹ Ward, the fair will run until August 29 and hopes to get around 10,000 domestic and international visitors. — VNS