The event is one of the largest and most prestigious international food exhibitions in the southwestern region of the RoK.

The annual “Gwangju Food Fair” is recognised as the largest food and beverage trade exhibition in the Honam region, covering sectors such as food, agriculture and fisheries, processed foods, beverages, desserts, functional foods, food technology, food processing machinery and equipment, and smart farming models.

The Gwangju Global Food Fair 2026 brought together more than 300 enterprises participating in B2B and B2C programmes, with over 450 exhibition booths. On the very first day of the opening, tens of thousands of visitors, partners, importers, and domestic and international distribution systems attended the event.

The VKBIA serves as a bridge to promote trade, investment, and cultural exchange between Vietnamese and Korean enterprises, while also supporting Vietnamese businesses in promoting their brands and products and expanding access to international markets through a series of B2B and B2C trade networking activities, import-export promotion, and culinary cultural exchange at the event.

At this exhibition, VKBIA supported approximately 50 delegates from various localities in Viet Nam, representing businesses operating in specialized food and agricultural sectors such as tea, coffee, agricultural products, Vietnamese beverages, restaurant and supermarket chains, import-export, and more.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Kang Gijung, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, emphasised that this year’s fair will place special focus on trends in green food, functional food, Food & Beverage Technology, Smart Farming, and the development of a sustainable food and agricultural ecosystem in the context of international economic integration.

Tran Hai Linh, Member of the Central Committee of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and Chairman of the VKBIA, head of the Vietnamese delegation – expressed his belief that the “Gwangju Global Food Fair 2026” will become an important international trade forum, contributing to strengthening economic cooperation, investment, trade, and people-to-people exchanges between Viet Nam and the RoK.

He also added that the event would powerfully accelerate the internationalisation of Vietnamese and Korean products and brands, thereby jointly advancing economic cooperation toward the goal of raising bilateral trade turnover to 150 billion USD by 2030.

In addition to the exhibition, trade promotion, and business networking activities, on the occasion of the “Gwangju Global Food Fair 2026”, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony was held between the VKBIA and the Gwangju Tourism Bureau (the RoK). The signing aims to strengthen strategic cooperation in the areas of trade promotion, tourism, culture, investment, and people-to-people exchanges between Viet Nam and the RoK in the coming period.