Taking the lead in spring furniture fairs in Asian countries, "Hawa Expo (Ho Chi Minh Export Furniture Fair) 2023" was held for the first time and held for four days from February 22nd to 25th at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The event was held with the aim of promoting the long-term sustainable growth of Vietnamese wood and handicraft industries, with 210 domestic and foreign companies (1,600 booths) exhibiting in a venue space of approximately 28,000 square meters. About 80% of them were companies with manufacturing bases in Vietnam. There were 16,062 visitors from 101 countries, and of the 3,653 overseas visitors, nearly half were from Europe and the United States

The organizer was the Ho Chi Minh City Wood Processing and Arts and Crafts Association, the largest furniture and wood association in Vietnam. In addition, the furniture associations of Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Binh Dinh provinces, which are major furniture production areas in Vietnam, and the Vietnam Timber Association cooperated.

Vietnam is the world's 4th largest exporter of wooden furniture, 1st in Southeast Asia and 2nd in Asia. The government positions the furniture industry as an important industry, and plans to back the "Hawa Expo" up as a place to promote furniture exports.

At the opening ceremony on February 22, Mr. Tran Thanh Nam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, said, “We will use our network to promote exports so that we can meet the demand for furniture around the world. We want to connect this first event to the next event."

The main export destinations are the United States, the EU, Japan, China, etc. The amount of exports to Japan is second only to the United States. The government has set a goal of increasing the export value of related products to 20 billion dollars by 2025, aiming to become a “world's furniture factory”.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the wood products and furniture exhibition "VIFA EXPO" has held for a long time. The major difference from this trade fair is that the "Hawa Expo" was the first time that the Vietnamese leading furniture and wood-related organizations came together and demonstrated the strength and diversity of local companies.

It is a step toward branding Vietnamese furniture, and it is a direction to expand the scale as a place to enter the global market as an ‘All-Vietnam’ collaboration of public and private sectors.