Trade Shows in Vietnam 2020: The Ultimate Guide

Suggestion: Watch the 10 minutes video tutorial before reading this article

Finding the best suppliers in Vietnam can be quite challenging. At least when sourcing products online. Instead, you might want to consider one of several trade shows, held yearly in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanoi.

In this article, you’ll get a complete overview of the largest trade shows in Vietnam, covering the following categories:

• Apparel, Textiles & Accessories
• Furniture, Home decor & Handicrafts
• Electronics
• Food & Agriculture
• Print & Packaging
• Construction & Industrial

In addition, we also cover visa requirements, invitation letters and transportation options.

Apparel & Textiles

VTG Textile & Garment

The Vietnam International Textile & Garment Industry Exhibition is scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City between November 25-28, 2020.

The event is organized by the Vietnam International Trade Fair & Advertising Joint Stock Company in partnership with Yorkers Trade & Marketing Services Co., Ltd.

It is a popular event that is attended by more than 10,000 people and around 400 exhibitors every year.

You can find a wide range of products at this event that includes:

• Textile machinery
• Apparel machinery
• Fibers
• Filaments
• Fabrics
• Apparel accessories

You can also find exhibitors from all around the world, especially manufacturers of winding machines, braiding machines, thread trimmer machines, etc.

You can meet manufacturers of modern textile and apparel machinery here instead of exploring actual textile products. If you are interested in machinery instead of textile or garments, this is an excellent event to attend.

If you are interested in the textile and garments instead of machinery, you can visit the sister exhibition that takes place at the same time and the same venue, the Vietnam International Textile & Apparel Accessories Exhibition.

Admission is allowed for only 16 years old or older.

Venue: Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC), 799 Nguyen Van Linh Parkway, Tan Phu Ward, Dist.7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Saigontex

The Vietnam Saigon Textile & Garment Industry Expo will take place on September 2-5, 2020 in Ho Chi Minh City. The event is commonly known as SaigonTex.

The exhibition takes place at the same time and the same location as the Vietnam Textile & Garment Industry Expo.

In 2019, the exhibition attracted more than 1100 exhibitors from 25 countries, which makes it one of the most significant textile & garments expos in the region. More than 27,000 people also visited the four-day event in 2019.

You can explore a wide range of garment and textile products at this event that includes:

• Garments
• Textile
• Apparel
• Fabrics
• Fiber, filament, and other materials
• Accessories & supplies
• Apparel and textile machinery and parts

The expo takes place only once a year, mostly in April.

Venue: Saigon Exhibition & Convention Centre (SECC), 799 Nguyen Van Linh Parkway, Tan Phu Ward, Dist.7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

HanoiTex

HanoiTex, also known as Vietnam Hanoi Textile & Garment Industry Expo, will take place on September 3-5, 2020, in Hanoi, Vietnam.

It is a relatively small exhibition that was attended by around 150 businesses and exhibitors in 2019 from 15 countries.

You can find a wide range of textile industry hardware here:

• Machinery
• Spare parts
• Technologies
• Dyes and chemicals used in the textile and garment industry
• Other accessories

Venue: Viet-Xo Cultural Palace (ICE), Hanoi, Vietnam

IFLE

The International Footwear & Leather Products Exhibition Vietnam (IFLE) will take place on September 16-18, 2020, at the Hanoi International Center for Exhibition.

IFLE is one of the largest and most influential international trade fair for shoes and leather goods in Vietnam, and this year is expected to attract more than 10,000 visitors.

The exhibition is a showplace for the footwear-related industry including equipment producers and materials suppliers. It also allows footwear manufacturers and distributors to display their latest collections and finished products.

Here, you can find a wide range of shoe and leather industry products and equipment such as:

• Bags and suitcases
• Accessories
• Leather garment
• Furniture leather
• Tanning machines
• Garment processing equipment

Venue: Hanoi International Center for Exhibition (I.C.E), 91 Tran Hung Dao, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.

Furniture, Homedecor & Handicrafts

VIFA Expo

Vietnam International Furniture & Home Accessories Expo is also known as VIFA Expo. The Expo takes place in Ho Chi Minh City in March annually.

The event is also among the largest furniture expos in Vietnam, as it attracted around 12,000 visitors and more than 500 exhibitors from 14 countries in 2019.

You can also find a wide range of furniture and home decor product categories here that include:

• Furniture & wood materials
• Handicrafts
• Home decor

Venue: Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC), 799 Nguyen Van Linh St., Tan Phu W., Dist. 7, HCMC

VIFA Home

VIFA Home or Vietnam Furniture & Home Furnishing Fair will take place in November in Ho Chi Minh City.

The annual event is a specialized furniture fair organized by the Handicraft & Wood Industry Association of HCMC (HAWA).

The products you can find here are:

• Indoor & outdoor furniture
• Home Decor
• Handicrafts
• Household appliances
• Support services

Around 150 exhibitors attend the event every year.

Venue: Phu Tho Indoor Sports Stadium, 01 Lu Gia Street, 15th ward, district 11th, Ho Chi Minh City

VIFA Woodmac

VIFA Vietnam Woodmac, also known as Woodworking Machinery & Wood Materials Fair, will take place in October in Thu Dau Mot City, Vietnam.

The event is organized by HAWA Corporation and Panels & Furniture Group of wood magazines. You can find a full range of machinery and wood materials here.

• Machinery
• Wood Materials
• Hardware
• Services related to the industry

The fair attracted more than 2000 international visitors and around 120 exhibitors in 2019.

The event takes place once a year.

Venue: Hung Vuong Boulevard, Hoa Phu Ward, Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam

VietnamWood

VietnamWood, also known as International Woodworking Industry Fair, takes place in Ho Chi Minh City in September annually.

More than 480 exhibitors attended the event from 30 countries along with 12,000 visitors in 2019 that makes it one of the major such exhibitions in Vietnam.

You can find a wide range of woodworking equipment in this exhibition that includes:

• Furniture manufacturing equipment
• Woodworking materials & consumables
• Tools
• Other similar products and accessories

The fair takes place once every two years.

Venue: Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC), 799 Nguyen Van Linh Parkway, Tan Phu Ward, Dist.7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

LifeStyle Vietnam

Lifestyle Vietnam will take place on October 19-22, 2020, in Ho Chi Minh City.

You can find a wide range of home decor, fashion, and other lifestyle products in this event.

Some popular product categories are:

• Home decor
• Handicrafts
• Furniture (Indoor & Outdoor)
• Home textiles
• Houseware
• Personal accessories & gifts
• Toys

In 2019, more than 15,000 visitors attended the fair while there were around 600 exhibitors.

Venue: Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center, 799 Nguyen Van Linh Street, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam

Electronics

NEPCON Vietnam

NEPCON is a major electronics and technology exhibition that takes place in September annually. This year it will take place on September 9-11, 2020. The exhibition attracts around 10,000 visitors and a few hundred exhibitors every year.

You can meet Vietnam based manufacturers and explore products and technologies like:

• Testing technologies
• SMT
• Electronic equipment
• Manufacturing components

Venue: 799 Nguyen Van Linh Parkway, District 7, Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

ETE Vietnam

ETE Vietnam is another major technology exhibition that is also known as the International Exhibition on Electrical Technology & Equipment. The event takes place once every year, which is scheduled in July in Ho Chi Minh City. For this year, the event will take place during July 22-25, 2020.

The exhibition takes place at the same time and at the same place in partnership with Enertec Expo 2020, which is the International Exhibition on Products, Technologies of Energy Saving.

If you are attending the ETE Vietnam, you can also attend the Enertex Expo at the same time.

Both events are organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade.

You can explore multiple product categories in the exhibition which include:

• Electrical technology & equipment
• Lighting technology & equipment
• Accessories like wires, cables, electrical appliances, etc.
• Technology contractors

It is also a major event that attracted around 20,000 visitors and more than 300 exhibitors in 2019.

Venue: Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center – SECC, 799 Nguyen Van Linh, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Secutech Vietnam

Secutech Vietnam is held in Ho Chi Minh City and, this year, it takes place on August 20-22, 2020.

Secutech is one of the largest professional exhibitions for the security and fire safety industry in the country.

The show attracted exhibitors from the hardware, components, software platforms, and artificial intelligence industries. Last year, it attracted more than 380 exhibitors from 21 countries and welcomed more than 14,000 visitors from 31 countries.

A wide range of products from the security and fire safety industries can be found here, including the following:

• CCTV
• Walkie-talkie
• Emergency bell
• Access control system
• Personal protective equipment
• Voice surveillance

Venue: Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC), 799 Nguyen Van Linh, Tan Phu Ward, Districti 7, Ho Chi Minh City

Food & Agriculture

Vietnam Farm & Food Expo

Vietnam Farm & Food Expo will take place in October in Ho Chi Minh City in partnership with Agritech Vietnam. This means you can visit two different expos at the same time and at the same venue.

You can find a wide range of farm and food-related products at this expo that includes:

• Agricultural products
• Agricultural machinery
• Seedling
• Models of high-tech agriculture
• Food
• Bonsai
• Food processing and maintenance equipment

Venue: Phu Tho Indoor Sports Stadium, 01 Lu Gia Street, Ward 15th, 11 District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

AGRI Vietnam

AGRI Vietnam is one of the most important fairs in the country featuring agricultural machinery, chemicals, and other agricultural products. It will take place in Ho Chi Minch for the third time, on June 17-19, 2020.

You can find an array of agricultural products and machinery that include:

• Tractors
• Sowing
• Harvester and post-harvester
• Irrigation system
• Spare parts and accessories
• Agrochemical
• Fertilizer
• Food packaging

Around 130 exhibitors and 5,000 visitors attend the expo every year.

Venue: Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center – SECC, 799 Nguyen Van Linh, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Packaging

Propak Vietnam

Propak Vietnam is also known as Processing and Packaging Exhibition and Conference. The exhibition takes place once a year, and is scheduled on September 9-11, 2020, in Ho Chi Minh City.

It is a popular event that attracts around 400 exhibitors and 9,000 visitors every year.

You can mostly explore the latest technology and equipment used in the processing and packaging industry.

Venue: Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center – SECC, 799 Nguyen Van Linh, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

PrintPack

PrintPack Foodtech 2020 is another major processing & packaging annual expo in Vietnam that will take place on October 20-24, 2020 in Ho Chi Minh City.

In 2019, around 15,000 visitors attended the expo along with 360 exhibitors from 11 countries.

You can find a wide range of processing and packaging-related products that include:

• Latest material
• Machinery (converting machinery, packaging machinery, Pre-printing systems, coating equipment, etc.)
• Technology
• Foodtech that include bakery equipment & machinery, barcoding, ingredients, food processing technology, and machinery, etc.

The event is organized by the Ministry of Industry & Trade.

Venue: Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center – SECC, 799 Nguyen Van Linh, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Construction & Industrial

Vietnam Manufacturing Expo (VME)

Vietnam Manufacturing Expo, or VME, will take place on August 12-14, 2020, in Hanoi.

The event takes place once a year where you can explore a wide range of products that include:

• Machine tools
• Mold & die
• Sheet metalworking
• Tools & tooling
• Welding technology
• Assembly automation
• Control measurement tools and technology
• Cable and wire technology

Around 10,000 visitors attend the event every year while hundreds of exhibitors from different countries also exhibit their products.

Venue: I.C.E. Hanoi (Cung Văn Hóa Hữu nghị Việt Xô), 91 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hanoi, Vietnam

Metalex Vietnam

The Metalex Vietnam will take place in October in Ho Chi Minh City. It is also known as Vietnam’s International Exhibition on Machine Tools & Metalworking Solutions for Production Upgrade. This year, the event will take place on October 8-10, 2020.

The event attracts over 500 brands and companies along with 10,000 visitors every year.

You can mostly explore full metalworking solutions in this exhibition, including:

• Welding Technology
• Factory Automation
• Pump & Valve
• Material Handling
• Mold and Die
• Wire, Tube, Cable Technology
• Tools and Tooling

Venue: Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center – SECC, 799 Nguyen Van Linh, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Vietnam Plas

Vietnam Plas, or Vietnam International Plastics & Rubber Industry Exhibition, is another major industrial exhibition that attracts over 15,000 visitors. This year, it will take place on September 23-26, 2020, in Ho Chi Minh City.

In 2019, VietnamPlas attracted more than 580 international brands from 18 countries including Austria, Australia, Belgium, China, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and United States.

You can explore plastic and rubber material, solutions, products, and related technology in the exhibition, including:

• Marking
• Printing
• Rubber
• Synthetic fiber

Venue: Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center – SECC, 799 Nguyen Van Linh, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Questions & Answers

Do I need to apply for a visa before visiting trade shows in Vietnam?

Many nationalities can either get visa-free access for 2 weeks or apply for a visa on arrival at the airport. As such, you don’t need to apply for a visa before you visit Vietnam.

If you do intend to get a visa on arrival in Vietnam, then make sure you bring either US dollars in cash or Vietnamese Dong (VND).

Do I need an invitation letter to obtain a Visa?

Not for short term visas. However, if you intend to obtain a 6 to 12-month visa, you must present an invitation letter.

The invitation letter must be issued by a Vietnamese entity, such as a local manufacturer or trade fair organizer.

That said, you don’t need an invitation letter to attend a trade show for a few days.

Can the supplier staff speak English?

Some people used to complain that very few people speak English in Vietnamese trade shows, including sales reps.

My impression is that this has changed significantly in the last few years, so you should not face issues when requesting quotations at a trade show.

How do I get to the trade shows?

At the time of writing, the Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi metro systems are still under construction. Most business people rely on the taxi app Grab, to get around the city, including to and from the trade shows.

You can download Grab via Google Play or the Apple App Store for free, and pay in cash or with your international credit card, after each ride.