Held at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center, the fair gathers over 300 businesses with more than 450 booths, creating opportunities for trade connections and promoting Vietnamese products to the international market.

The opening ceremony was attended by Mr. Kang Gijung, Mayor of Gwangju; Mr. Tran Hai Linh, Member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, President of the Vietnam-Korea Business & Investment Association (VKBIA); Mr. Jeong Jae Young, Director General of the Gwangju Tourism Bureau; Mr. An Yu Seong, President of the Republic of Korea's Top Artisan Association, along with representatives from various agencies, organizations, businesses, and international partners in the fields of food, tourism, and trade.

Delegates attending the opening ceremony. (Source: VKBIA)

Gwangju is a major city directly under the central government of the Republic of Korea, renowned for its vibrant culture, thriving creative industry, and recognized as one of the prominent culinary centers in the Honam region.

The Gwangju Global Food Fair is an annual event and is considered the largest specialized food and beverage exhibition in the region, focusing on areas such as processed foods, agricultural and aquatic products, beverages, desserts, functional foods, food technology, food machinery, and smart agriculture models.

This year, on the very first day of the opening, the event attracted tens of thousands of visitors, importers, distribution partners, and both domestic and international businesses exploring cooperation opportunities.

As a co-organizer, VKBIA continues to affirm its role as a bridge promoting trade cooperation, investment, and cultural exchange between Vietnamese and Korean businesses.

At this fair, VKBIA supported approximately 50 delegates and businesses from various localities in Vietnam to participate in trade promotion, product advertising, and seek international cooperation opportunities.

Vietnamese businesses brought to the fair a variety of distinctive product groups such as tea, coffee, processed agricultural products, beverages, traditional foods, OCOP products, along with models of restaurant chains, supermarkets, and import-export services.

The Vietnamese promotional space received significant attention from Korean and international visitors due to its diversity, cultural identity, and increasingly enhanced product quality.

Through co-organizing the Gwangju Global Food Fair 2026, VKBIA hopes to create more opportunities for Vietnamese businesses to directly access distribution systems, importers, and international partners in the Republic of Korea.

Additionally, this is also an opportunity to strongly promote Vietnamese agricultural products, processed foods, tea, coffee, and specialty beverages to international consumers.

Besides supporting Vietnamese businesses in expanding export markets, VKBIA also aims to promote two-way cooperation, creating conditions for Vietnamese businesses to enhance the import and distribution of quality Korean products in the Vietnamese market as well as in other countries in the region.

Within the framework of the fair, many prominent activities took place, such as the Business Matching B2B program, the Vietnam-Korea Investment and Trade Promotion Conference, meetings with international importers and retail systems, Vietnamese cultural and culinary promotional spaces, along with experiential and culinary demonstration programs.

The Vietnamese promotional space received significant attention from Korean and international visitors. (Source: VKBIA)

Speaking at the event, Mr. Kang Gijung, Mayor of Gwangju, emphasized that this year's fair particularly focuses on green food trends, functional foods, food technology and beverages, smart agriculture, as well as developing a sustainable food ecosystem in the context of increasingly deep international economic integration.

According to Mr. Kang Gijung, connecting businesses in the fields of food, agriculture, and technology will contribute to promoting innovation while expanding economic cooperation opportunities between the Republic of Korea and partner countries, including Vietnam.

Mr. Tran Hai Linh, President of VKBIA, stated that the Gwangju Global Food Fair 2026 is not merely a trade promotion activity but also an important international trade forum to enhance economic cooperation, investment, trade, and people-to-people exchange between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea.

He expressed confidence that through substantive connection activities at the fair, many Vietnamese products and brands will have the opportunity to expand their presence in the Republic of Korea and international markets, contributing to promoting the internationalization of Vietnamese brands, while aiming to increase bilateral trade turnover between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea to 150 billion USD by 2030.

A significant highlight of this year's event is the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between VKBIA and the Gwangju Tourism Bureau. The agreement is signed to enhance strategic cooperation in the fields of trade promotion, tourism, culture, investment, and people-to-people exchange between the two countries in the coming time.

VKBIA and the Gwangju Tourism Bureau expect the signing of the MOU to lay the foundation for long-term cooperation programs between the Vietnamese business community and Gwangju city. (Source: VKBIA)

According to the cooperation content, the two sides will coordinate to implement bilateral tourism promotion programs; support businesses to participate in international fairs and exhibitions; promote business connections in the fields of food, high-tech agriculture, services, tourism, and cultural industries; and enhance the exchange of business delegations, experts, and cultural exchange activities between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea.

Representatives of VKBIA and the Gwangju Tourism Bureau expect the signing of the MOU to lay the foundation for long-term cooperation programs between the Vietnamese business community and Gwangju city – one of the important cultural, creative, and industrial centers of the Republic of Korea. Thereby, contributing to promoting the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea to develop more substantively, effectively, and sustainably.