The Investment and Trade Promotion Centre of HCM City on July 21 opened an international exhibition and business centre (Saigon Expo showroom) to promote exports of typical Vietnamese products.

Located at 92-96 Nguyen Hue Street in District 1, the showroom also aims to help businesses market their exportable products to domestic and foreign customers and explore opportunities to expand exports.

Eighty three companies from HCM City and other provinces and cities are displaying food and foodstuffs, cosmetics, handicrafts, beverages, confectionery, garments, tea and coffee, sauces, spices, drugs and healthcare products, plastic products, and household utensils there.

ITPC director Pho Nam Phuong promised to provide businesses with information about export markets, information about importers there, demand, and networking opportunities and to send information about them to foreign consulates in Vietnam and Vietnamese trade offices abroad.

Weekend sample sale sessions would be organised from 5pm to 9pm at the showroom to enable companies to showcase their new products, she said.

This way the companies could directly contact customers to learn about their demands and tastes, and gradually improve their quality and designs to fully satisfy consumer demand, she added.

Nguyen Thi Nhung, assistant manager of Tan An Foods Processing Export Co, Ltd, which exports cashew nuts mostly to the US, Australia, Hong Kong, and the EU, said by displaying its products at the show the company hoped to popularise them.

An executive from Tai Tai Production and Trading Joint Stock Company said the company hoped to find business partners to expand its export markets.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Chairwoman of the HCM City People's Committee Nguyen Thi Hong said enterprises, especially small- and medium-sized ones, should take advantage of the showroom to market their products.

She said the city's exports (excluding crude oil) topped 11.28 billion USD in the first half of the year, a year-on-year surge of 8.14 percent.-VNA