Made-in-Vietnam furniture and handicrafts will be put on display in separate expositions in Russia and the US in September as part of the Vietnamese government’s efforts to revive falling export revenues.

Vietnam ’s woodwork and handicraft products, which have been on sale in 163 countries and territories in the world, are among some of the most important export items for the state budget.

In the first half of this year, exports of the items reached only 1.3 billion USD, a 30 percent year-on-year decrease due to falling demand on the world furniture market which has been hit by the global economic crisis.

The US showcase is expected to help Vietnamese exporters ship more products to the market, where demand for the goods has shown signs of recovery.

Vietnamese woodwork exports to the US in April and May this year grew by 12 percent compared to last year’s corresponding period, said sources of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Aside from maintaining trade relations with traditional partners, Vietnamese exporters are encouraged to find ways to enter new markets, including Russia and countries in the Middle East .

The lessons learnt from the world crisis have also encouraged the Ministry Industry and Trade to boost domestic trade promotion activities to fully tap the local market.

The ministry will organise an international exposition of furniture and handicrafts in Ho Chi Minh City in October this year. A new feature of Expo 2009 this year is that the organiser will launch an online trade fair which will be open round-the-clock.

Businesses all over the world will be able to conduct trading transactions with Vietnamese firms through the webpage: www.tradeshow.com.vn./.