The first Vietnam International Food Industry Exhibition (VietnamFoodexpo 2015) opened in Ho Chi Minh City on May 13, expected to becomean effective support channel to advertise Vietnamese products andservices.

The expo features around 500 booths ofmore than 300 companies from 36 Vietnamese localities and 19 othercountries and territories.

Themed “At the heart ofAsia’s food aspiration”, it popularises trademarks, products, andservices related to farm produce, material and processed seafood, andbeverages.

Also on display is cutting-edge machinery aiming to improve productivity, quality, and labour safety in the industry.

At the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade DoThang Hai said Vietnam’s food industry holds vast development potentialand comprises a considerable proportion of the overall industrial outputand gross domestic product.

Vietnam Foodexpo 2015,part of the National Trade Promotion Programme, was organised by theMinistry of Industry and Trade, relevant agencies, and local authoritiesto assist the sector’s market expansion effort.

Tran Kim Oanh, Director of the ministry’s Industry and Trade InvestmentPromotion Centre, said the centre’s booth will conduct activities tointroduce the local investment climate and encourage foreign companiesto join the production and supply chains of Vietnam’s food industry.

An international cooking contest will also be held during Vietnam Foodexpo 2015, which will last until May 16.-VNA