Vietnam lacks premises for exhibitions

Taitra (Taiwan External Trade Development Council), the organizer of Taiwan Export 2017 in Vietnam last year, was satisfied about the success of the exhibition. The event attracted 24,000 visitors and $27 million worth of transactions.

Taiwan Export 2018 was organized last July. James C.F Huang, chair of Taitra, expressed his regret that many Taiwanese businesses could not attend the event. 

The problem was that the premises at the Saigon Exhibition & Conference Center (SECC) could only accommodate 250 stalls of 200 enterprises.

Vinexad, the Vietnamese partner which co-organized the event, said many other foreign partners also were complaining about the difficulties in arranging premises for exhibitions and trade fairs in Vietnam.

SECC, considered the most modern and largest exhibition center in Vietnam, is always in the status of overloading.  There is not enough space for exhibitions for industrial machines, textiles & garments, automobiles, building materials and wooden furniture.

The organization board of VIFA Expo 2018, an exhibition on fine arts and woodworks in March, said it could only arrange 30,000 square meters of premises for the event, enough for fewer than 2,000 stalls.

Because of the lack of premises, exhibition organizers have to use space in stadiums and parks. However, they meet difficulties in doing so, because stadiums and parks are not designed for exhibitions.

In the past, HCM City once had the Tan Binh Exhibition Center, which was well known to visitors. However, it is no longer an exhibition center and SECC is now the only choice for exhibitions & trade fairs.

Since SECC has been fully occupied, exhibition organizers have to book premises 3-4 years in advance. 

According to Vinexad, HCM City plans to expand SECC. However, no progress has been made so far and the center is in the same situation as it was nine years ago, when it opened.

A source said that the city’s authorities plan to build another exhibition center with international standards in district 2. But it’s still unclear when the center will open.

The same problem is occurring in Hanoi. The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) wants to organize automobile exhibitions alternating between Hanoi and HCM City. However, the 7-hectare Giang Vo Exhibition Center does not lease premises any longer.

Sources said Hanoi would have another exhibition center in Co Loa to replace Giang Vo. However, there is no further information about it.

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