The 3rd ASEAN International Furniture & Handicraft Products Fair - VIFA ASEAN 2025 will take place from August 26 to 29, 2025 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), co-organized by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Ho Chi Minh City Branch (VCCI-HCM); Lien Minh Wood Handicraft Joint Stock Company; Vietnam Association of Building Materials (VABM).

Delegates cut the ribbon to open the VIFA ASEAN 2025 fair - Photo: Dinh Dai

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Director of VCCI-HCM Tran Ngoc Liem said that the first months of 2025 witnessed many complicated developments in the world economy, but also showed clear signs of recovery. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the global economy has recovered more strongly than expected. The IMF has adjusted its global growth forecast for 2025 to 3% and 3.1% in 2026, higher than the previous forecast. This reflects a positive recovery in trade and investment activities, especially when tariff tensions show signs of easing.

According to Director of VCCI-HCM Tran Ngoc Liem, thanks to the recovery of the world market, Vietnam's import and export activities in the first 7 months of this year have achieved very positive results. Vietnam's total import-export turnover reached 514.7 billion USD, up 14.8% over the same period last year, of which exports increased by 14.8% and imports increased by 17.9%. Notably, the wood and furniture industry continued to be a bright spot, in the top 6 groups of industries with the highest export turnover, with a total export turnover of 11.7 billion USD, up 8.6% over the same period in 2024, of which wood products alone exported 6.6 billion USD, up 8.2%. These impressive figures show the strong recovery of Vietnamese enterprises, especially in the context of many fluctuations in the international market. “The strong recovery of Vietnam's wood and furniture industry has a large contribution from the US market. In the first 7 months of 2025, the export turnover of wood and furniture products to the US reached 5.4 billion USD, an increase of 10% over the same period in 2024. The US market continues to be the largest destination, accounting for more than 58% of the total export turnover of this industry, showing the trust of US importers in Vietnam as a leading supplier of important wood and furniture in the world,” said VCCI-HCM Director Tran Ngoc Liem.

Director of VCCI-HCM Tran Ngoc Liem speaks at the Opening Ceremony - Photo: Dinh Dai

However, he said that, besides the positive signals, we are also aware of the potential risks. Over-reliance on a major export market like the US can directly affect our export value when consumer demand in this market fluctuates. Therefore, market diversification is a key strategy. Besides maintaining and developing the US market, we need to promote exports to other potential markets such as Japan, China and the EU to minimize risks and ensure sustainable development.

In that context, Director of VCCI-HCM Tran Ngoc Liem said that the VIFA ASEAN 2025 fair is a strategic trade promotion event. With a flexible and creative spirit, VIFA ASEAN 2025 is not only a bridge to help Vietnamese enterprises approach the Southeast Asian and international business community, but also creates a solid foundation to proactively seek new orders, expand cooperation opportunities and connect with global buyers. This is an opportunity for enterprises to affirm their position and make a breakthrough in a period of economic fluctuations.

“With the participation of more than 200 enterprises and 10,000 domestic and foreign visitors, VIFA ASEAN 2025 will certainly bring effective business opportunities, promising steps and sustainable cooperative relationships. We believe that, with the support of agencies, departments and the consensus of the business community, the Vietnamese wood and furniture industry will continue to reap more success in the future”, the Director of VCCI-HCM shared more.

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung assessed that the industries displayed at VIFA ASEAN 2025, such as wood and wood products, handicrafts, are not only key industries of Vietnam but also play a key role in the economy of Ho Chi Minh City.

Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung speaks at the opening ceremony - Photo: Dinh Dai

According to data, Vietnam's total import-export turnover in the first 6 months of 2025 increased by 16.1% over the same period last year, of which the wood and wood products industry continued to be a bright spot with export turnover in the first half of 2025 increasing by 8.9% over the same period in 2024. These figures demonstrate the strong recovery of Vietnamese enterprises.

This year's VIFA ASEAN Fair also has a special significance as Vietnamese exhibitors mainly come from key localities such as Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An. In particular, the merger of Binh Duong into Ho Chi Minh City has raised the scale and strength of the city.

“With this merger, Ho Chi Minh City has expanded its area and population, becoming a megacity, an industrial, commercial and service center with the largest scale in the country. This not only strengthens the economic position of the City but also creates a complete "supply chain", closely linked from the production stage in Binh Duong industrial parks to the export stage at major seaports of Ho Chi Minh City", Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung shared.

He also assessed that the VIFA ASEAN fair is a strategic event, creating a solid foundation for businesses to proactively seek new orders, expand cooperation opportunities and connect with global buyers. The fair not only helps the City's businesses access international markets, but also contributes to strengthening Ho Chi Minh City's position as an international trading center, promoting the overall economic development of the entire City and the Southern key economic region.

“The strong development of enterprises, especially wood and furniture enterprises in these areas, is the core driving force for the growth of the City. We appreciate and acknowledge the great contributions of the business community to the common development, and commit to continue to accompany and support businesses to develop sustainably,” added Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Van Dung.