Vietnam booth makes Milan Design Week debut

Italy’s Milan Design Week has featured a Vietnam Pavilion for the very first time, presenting unique wooden furniture and handicraft products from 35 Vietnamese businesses.

Vietnam Pavilion at the prestigious event was constructed with almost 400 wooden modules blended with traditional Vietnamese rattan efficiently "compressed" and composed into a vibrant, innovative display area, local reports said.

The pavilion welcomed Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Duong Hai Hung and trade counsellor Duong Phuong Thao at an April 18 networking event where the diplomats interacted with the Vietnamese business community.

Ambassador Hung complimented the Investment and Trade Promotion Center of Ho Chi Minh City and the Handicraft & Wood Industry Association of HCMC on taking the first successful steps towards highlighting Vietnam’s fashion designing prowess.

He noted that Milan was a place where big brands congregated from all over the world. Vietnam’s debut at the event showed it was making a mark in the furniture and handicraft designing business, he said.

Hung advised Vietnamese firms to focus on furthering their competitiveness by working closely with designers in Italy and Europe in order to gain a foothold in the European market. He stressed the sense of pride that came from Vietnam being the world's largest furniture exporter.

Event organizers also said that Vietnam’s participation signified that it was beginning to showcase its creativity in furniture and fine arts on the international stage.