Vietnam International Sourcing expo lures EU business missions, global retail giants

Business missions from Belgium and the Netherlands will attend the Vietnam International Sourcing 2023 expo in Ho Chi Minh City this September, seeking suppliers, partners and business opportunities.

A delegation of around 50 Belgian entrepreneurs has registered for the September 13-15 event, according to the Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium.

The mission will represent businesses from the Flanders region in various areas including farm produce, confectionery and chocolate production, insulation film, machinery, construction materials, real estate and logistics services.

Andries Gryffroy, First Vice President of the Belgian Senate, who is also head of the Belgian-Vietnamese Alliance which promotes bilateral cooperation in all fields, is scheduled to deliver a speech at the Vietnam-EU trade forum held under the auspices of the three-day event.

Gryffroy had met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during the latter’s official visit to Belgium last December. Chinh had called on the bilateral alliance to promote economic, trade, investment and tourism cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. It should also encourage bilateral ties between localities, universities and research institutes, Chinh said.

Meanwhile, the Dutch delegation attending the Vietnam International Sourcing 2023 expo will include distributors, retailers and trading companies based in the Netherlands with presence across Europe.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoIT) has already confirmed the attendance of leading world retailers like U.S. headquartered Walmart and Amazon, Japan’s Aeon and Uniqlo, France’s Carrefour and Decathlon, Mexico’s Coppel, and Thaialnd’s Central Group.

Avineesh Gupta, vice president in charge of general merchandise and apparel sourcing, will lead Walmart’s delegation. He will introduce and seek business opportunities with Vietnamese partners in Walmart’s global value chain, the ministry said.

The Vietnam International Sourcing 2023 expo will comprise a series of events that aim to support domestic enterprises’ efforts to step up their engagement in global production and supply chains, adapt to the growing trend of international economic integration, and boost connectivity with foreign distribution channels and importers.

The events will include conferences, workshops and business-matching events.