HCM City (VNA) – A series of international exhibitions in thefootwear, garment and textile industries opened at the Saigon Exhibition andConvention Centre in Ho Chi Minh City on November 21.

They include the 18th Vietnam International Textile andGarment Industry Exhibition (VTG 2018), the Vietnam International Textile andApparel Accessories Exhibition (VitaTex), the Vietnam International FootwearMachinery and Material Industry Exhibition (VFM), and the 8th AsiaInternational Dye Industry, Pigments and Textile Chemicals Exhibition (InterdyeAsia 2018).

VTG 2018 drew more than 400 exhibitors with more than 600 booths from 11countries and territories, including China, Germany, India, Japan, the Republicof Korea, Malaysia, Portugal, Turkey and Vietnam.

The event has introduced new products such as embroidery machines of BaoLun, Rich Peace, Tajima and ZSK, and printers of big names such as Heinz Walz,Epson, Grafica and Sulfet.

Meanwhile, Interdye Asia 2018, the biggest exhibition in its field, isexpected to help develop Vietnam’s garment and textile sector and chemicals forthe sector in particular.

Statistics show that Vietnam has more than 700 footwear producersinvolving about 1.5 million workers. Vietnam has become the world’s thirdlargest exporter of handbags and footwear with strong growth in production andexport revenue.

However, the country is facing difficulties in terms of machinery for thefootwear and garment and textile sectors.

At the same time, as one of the most dynamic economies in SoutheastAsia, Vietnam has signed many free trade agreements with partners, includingthe Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).This is a favourable condition for the country to receive support and technologytransfer from international partner for its footwear sector.

Pham Xuan Hong, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Association of Garmentand Textile, Embroidery and Knitwear (AGTEK) said that the free trade agreementbetween Vietnam and the EU is expected to create new development motivation forthe sector if domestic businesses can optimise opportunities to improve theirproduction, productivity and reduce costs.

Besides, the firms will also have chances to cooperate with regionalcountries to seek better material resources and form a competitive supplychain.

In the first half of 2018, Vietnam enjoyed record high export revenuefrom garment and textile products, ranking in the top five of the world.Vietnam’s footwear sector ranks second in the world only after China,accounting for 7.4 percent of global exports.

The exhibitions will run until November 24.-VNA