Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – The 5th Ho Chi Minh City International Exhibition of Food and Beverages (HCMC FOODEX 2026) opened in the southern metropolis on April 15, featuring nearly 500 booths of 350 enterprises from 20 provinces and cities, as well as many countries and territories such as Japan, China, Singapore, and India.
Participating businesses are showcasing a wide range of products, from agricultural produce, processed foods, beverages, and spices to equipment and technologies for processing, packaging, and preservation.
Running until April 18, the event is organised by the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre of Ho Chi Minh City and the city's Food and Foodstuffs Association at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre. It aims to honour the essence of Vietnamese cuisine while promoting products that meet international standards, hold export potential, and are capable of deeper integration into global supply chains.
Business matching programmes are being held throughout the event, with the participation of major distribution systems such as AEON, Lotte, Central Retail, Saigon Co.op, Satra, MM Mega Market, and Emart, along with international e-commerce platforms. More than 2,000 direct business meetings are anticipated to be arranged, contributing to expanded market access and strengthened trade cooperation for enterprises.
In addition, a variety of cultural and technological experiences, factory tours for international buyers, and large-scale culinary competitions are being organised, creating a multidimensional interactive ecosystem among businesses, distributors, and consumers.
A highlight is the Master Chef of Foodex programme and an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the “largest 3D jelly cake display in the world”. The activity will bring together over 100 artisans from both Vietnam and abroad, showcasing around 1,200 products in a highly artistic and creative culinary space.
HCMC FOODEX 2026 is expected to provide opportunities for manufacturers to connect more closely with distribution networks and consumers, introduce Vietnamese food brands to international buyers, and encourage innovation, improved product quality, and deeper integration into global supply chains.
Nguyen Loc Ha, Standing Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said Ho Chi Minh City is the country’s largest food processing hub, accounting for around 30–35% of the sector’s production value in the southern key economic region. The food and foodstuff industry contributes approximately 14–15% of the city’s total industrial production value and plays a crucial role as one of the four priority industrial sectors.
The local economy expanded by 8.27% in the first quarter of this year, the fastest pace for the same period in the past five years. Notably, the industrial production index of the food and foodstuff sector ranked second, rising 12% year-on-year.
The official noted that amid market volatility and challenges facing production and exports, the city will continue improving the business environment, promoting technological application and digital transformation, and enhancing trade promotion, supply – demand connectivity, and access to capital to support the sustainable development of the food processing industry./.
