With an aim of supporting enterprises to boost export, renovate products, quickly and effectively access international customers, creating good condition for economic organisations and domestic and foreign companies to gather to introduce and explore Vietnam’s export woodwork, Export Handicraft and Interior Woodwork International Fair has been annually held from 2003 under the assistance of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Trade, the Department of Trade Promotion and Ho Chi Minh City Handicraft and Wood Processing Association. The fair will help Vietnamese enterprises access business opportunities, introduce their high-quality products to domestic and foreign consumers.
This is a part of trade promotion programme of Ho Chi Minh City and listed in key trade promotion programmes of the country from 2005 under the organisation of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The fair has introduced a common and panorama image on wood industry, with the participation of timber processing companies in regions of the south east, the Central Highland and the north, giving real picture of handicraft and wood processing industry of Vietnam as well as the industry’s development potential. The fair has left good impression on foreign customers.
Particularly, participating businesses and clients can feel pleased with the fair’s organisation. The popularisation, guest invitation and services for customers are free of charge. Via the fair, the role of Handicraft and Wood Processing Association has been raise to a new high. Mai Vang Prize for unique design ideas will be improved and developed. With the organisation of fairs, the Department of Trade has gradually established a professional organiser board for collecting and updating data about customers. Besides, the harmonious coordination of related bodies such as the Foreign Affair Office, the City Police and HIECC Exhibition Centre is the key to success of fairs.
Expo 2007 has drawn the attention of leading enterprises in various sectors: timber producers and processors, designers and interior decoration units, suppliers of materials, equipment, woodwork and handicraft exporters, importers and distributors inside and outside the country. In EXPO this time, commodity categories have been arranged and displayed in separate zones for each types of goods.
Mr. Nguyen Chien Thang, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Handicraft and Wood Processing Association said that during EXPO 2007, there will be conference providing information about Vietnam’s wood industry and world wood exporters, and challenges facing the industry when Vietnam joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO). To better organise the fair in March 2008, the trade promotion and introduction programmes about wood and handicraft fair have been well prepared. As a result, the department has launched an advertisement on all means of communication and informed Vietnam’s foreign affair offices in other countries and foreign representative offices in Vietnam to best organise EXPO 2007 as well as an expo in March next year.
Following are ideas of wood exporters:
Ms Ta Thanh Thao - Director of Go My Company: “Wood Processing and Fine Handicraft Association must be a provider of information about material market”
We can see that more than 70 per cent of material for Vietnam’s processing industry must be imported from other markets in the region and further from Europe, Africa and the U.S. As a result, production activities and the implementation of big orders of enterprises in the industry must absolutely depend on importation activities and rate of progress. So it is necessary that wood processors, especially Wood Processing and Fine Handicraft Association should be a provider of information about material market and organiser of the collection orders, which will help raise competitiveness advantage in price and ensure the stability of processing activities for the association’s members. Moreover, there should be policies to develop the internal force of professional material providers like us, creating more advantage for Vietnamese firms in the industry, because professional material providers will provide optimal policies and solutions for the input of material source.
Mr Nguyen Huu Toan - Director of Thien An Company: “Stabilise production and business”
With many years of operation in wood processing industry, producing specific products such as furniture, bed, and wardrobe with high fine arts, and inheriting available wood source from the nature, Thien An Company always ensures the honesty and stabilisation of production and business activities. We place great importance to the untapped domestic market. Over the past time, Thien An has focused on maintaining the production in plants in Hooc Mon District, preparing a good human resource for new chances. At the same time, the company has also actively cooperated with related organisations particularly Ho Chi Minh City Wood Processing and Fine Handicraft Association in order to find out best solutions to support our business.
Mr Tran Quoc Manh - SADACO General Director: “Expand operation”
Being a leading company in export wood processing industry in Vietnam, SADACO not only esteems profit as the highest target, but also the sustainable stability of business and good deep to the community. SADACO has successfully built new economic zone in Daklak Province, with model of an active SADACO village, in which SADACO invested over VND10 billion including VND3 billion in transports and technical infrastructure system.
At the same time, we has expanded operation by participating in projects in other sectors such as buying and investing in a joint venture company to produce bamboo chopsticks, trading hotel services and service station in tourism sector, building wood processing industrial park in Long An Province with total capital of VND100 billion, boosting services activities and labour export to traditional markets as well as potential markets. In addition, we have maintained relation with the community of wood processors to create friendly trade environment and provide useful information about our operation via HAWA Association.
Mr Nguyen Chien Thang - General Director of LD Scansia Pacific and HAWA Chairman: “Pioneer in join venture and coalition”
Apart from the role of a pioneer in the join venture and coalition activities in wood processing industry in Ho Chi Minh City, I myself am a representative of HAWA’s executive board. We consider solidarity and openness as HAWA’s key to success. Especially, leaders must be pioneers in the production and business activities of their companies, in order to create prestige and persuasiveness for the association’s activities.
Scansia Pacific is holding high proportion of processed export wood, actively looking for potential markets and attracting more partners via information channel inside and outside the country. The provision of business opportunities for the association’s members will strengthen and stabilise its operation. At the same time, we devolve on executive board’s members to promote strengths and potentials of each member, bringing about best results. It is necessary to emphasise that export wood processing industry is defined as key economic industry for development by the state; so wood processors and HAWA Association should adopt specific and stable production and business strategies to boost the industry’s development in the upcoming years.
Mr Dang Quoc Hung - Director of Kim Boi Company, Ltd.: “Handicraft makes facing great challenge”
Handicraft businesses are facing great difficulties such as limited and demanding export markets and trade partners, unstable production, limited capital of enterprises (mainly small and medium-sized businesses). Moreover, incentives and supporting policies for producers in the industry are still ineffective.
According to the industry’s statistics, the export proportion of handicrafts is very high in the coming time, together with increasing demand for technical features and fine arts. Apart from looking for material sources, the exploitation and use of idle farmers will create comparative advantages for enterprises taking part in this sector.
Mr Dau Vu Chau - Director of Au Chau Wood Company, Ltd.: “Priority prestige and quality”
Vietnam’s wood processing industry has seen a fast and rapid development, but most of wood materials are imported with high cost and time waste due to long order placing and delivery time. The material source is not always available to serve for production plan of businesses. In order to diversify wood material sources to scale up development, Au Chau Wood Company, Ltd. was set up to quickly and effectively meet diverse demands of Vietnamese consumers.
With available material source of between 3,000 cubic metres and 5,000 cubic metres, which is diverse in shape and types and located in geographically advantageous position, Au Chau Wood Co is able to replace imported materials to provide consumers with high-quality products soon. In addition, Au Chau Wood is operating advanced production line which maintains wood in standard environment and classifies wood by U.S. and European standard before packing. The high standard in production has helped Au Chau Wood Co become one of the biggest sawn timber producers in Vietnam.
XuanHoe – Anh Dao
Vietnamese
