Twenty-nine Vietnamese companies taking part in the International Furniture Fair Singapore 2014 and the 31st ASEAN Furniture Show (IFFS/AFS) in Singapore from March 13016 are all aimed at seeking more customers and expand markets overseas.

Phan Thi Thuy Hang, Director of Kien A Interiors Co. Ltd. told Vietnam News Agency’s Singapore-based reporter that this is the first time the company participated in the IFFS/AFS. The company has shipped its furniture to New Zealand, the US and some European countries like the UK and Iceland and it has been planning to export furniture to other countries in Europe.

Also in the first day of the IFFS/AFS, Saigon River Factory Vietnam, a company run by a Belgian couple and specialising in creating handmade furniture and tiles for worldwide distribution, received orders for three containers of products.

Director Peter Arts said this is the fourth time his company has been exhibiting at the event. The company has about 160 workers and needs to expand.

Nguyen Thanh Tung, Director of Tan Phu Furniture Co. Ltd, said after each year of participation to the event, its market share increased and more and more overseas customers knew Tan Phu brand. This is the 11th time that Tan Phu has participated in the annual IFFS.

Tan Phu has exported furniture to Australia, New Zealand and European countries, worth from 6 to 7 million USD a year.

According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Tran Hai Hau, many of Vietnamese companies displaying at the IFFS received export orders on the very first day of the show, which indicated that Vietnam’s furniture production technology has been on the progress and the country’s economy has been improved, including the furniture industry.

Last year, Vietnam exported 6 billion USD worth of furniture, wooden, bamboo and rattan works, including 20 million USD to Singapore.-VNA