After navigating the challenges of 2023, Vietnam's textile and garment exports have been gradually recovering. Additionally, foreign direct investment (FDI) into Vietnam during the first five months of this year reached US$ 11 billion, a 2% year-on-year increase, according to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).

To cater for Vietnam’s renewed business opportunities, the Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) will return from 26-28 February 2025 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC).

“The invaluable feedback from the first edition of VIATT has driven us to make next year’s fair even stronger, and look forward to its increasing importance in our global textile framework," said Ms Wilmet Shea, General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. "With Vietnam's business environment on the upswing, we are excited about VIATT 2025’s potential to serve as an effective, on-trend platform for harnessing and supplementing the renewed growth of the country's textile industry, across multiple sub-sectors."

The fair’s inaugural edition attracted 409 exhibitors and 17,262 visits from 17 and 55 countries and regions respectively. Building on this solid foundation, VIATT 2025 will continue to showcase the latest industry trends and expand its focus on various pertinent areas.

This will include the fair’s new Econogy Hub, a dedicated zone to advance the topic of sustainability in the textile industry, and to relate it closely to the demands of economic and social change. Together with the evolving environmental landscape, the fair will also help industry players adapt to the rapid adoption of new technology in the business world with the debut of the Innovation & Digital Solutions Zone. This zone will allow exhibitors to unveil the latest technology and solutions such as AI design, digital manufacturing, big data analytics, and more.

Concurrently, VIATT 2025 will continue to present a diverse range of exhibitors across the apparel, home textile and technical textile sectors, with positive feedback received from many quarters at the fair’s inaugural edition.

Apparel fabrics and fashion

In the first four months of 2024, textile and garment exports grew 6.3% year-on-year to over USD 10 billion. The US remains Vietnam’s top export market, followed by the EU, South Korea, China, and Japan. To meet this demand, Vietnam's textile industry continues to import a significant amount of raw materials. At VIATT 2024, yarns, fibres and fabrics for casualwear, sportswear and uniforms, as well as garment accessories, were in high demand.

Speaking at the previous edition, Ms Surina Gan, Director / Chief Marketing Officer at CDX Textile, said: “In addition to trade pacts, Vietnam has also established itself with significant support networks for the textile and garment industry. This fair is a more international platform, and this is what we look forward to. We want to meet many customers and brands from all over the world such as our main markets, America and Europe, and new markets such as Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.”

At the upcoming edition, apparel textile exhibitors can showcase beyond their booths by participating in the fringe programme's fashion shows, seminars and more.

Home and contract textiles

Vietnam’s home textile market is projected to undergo a steady CAGR of 2.4% from 2024-2032, driven by the rising need for modern and stylish home textiles, e-commerce expansion, and favourable government initiatives. At the fair’s previous edition, product groups included bedding, loungewear and bathroom textiles, curtains and curtain fabrics, upholstery and sofa fabrics, and home textile accessories.

Showcasing Japanese tatami mats at VIATT 2024, Mr Ryosuke Nishida, from the Business Promotion Department at Kitsutaka Co Ltd, said: “At VIATT, we’ve had the opportunity to meet with real estate companies, design offices, and interior stores. Our ultimate goal is to sell our products all over the world, and our plan is to first establish a strong presence in Vietnam and then consider local production to offer a more affordable price.”

At VIATT 2025, exhibitors can additionally present their latest offerings in the Home Textiles Display Zone or at dedicated product presentations, to maximise their visibility to potential buyers.

Technical textiles and technologies

Across the textiles industry, investors are now focusing on optimising production capacity, streamlining supply chains, and enhancing product quality to maintain competitiveness in both domestic and international markets. With the new Innovation & Digital Solutions Zone to supplement the textile technology category, VIATT 2025 is set to play host to providers of textile and nonwoven machinery, CAD/CAM, CMT, and technology for embroidery, knitting, sewing, printing, and more. Exhibitors can draw more attention to their latest solutions by participating in the fair's new innovation showcase area.

Focusing on promoting the company’s tactile sensation analysing machine at VIATT 2024, Mr Daniel Ohndorf, Sales Area Manager at emtec Electronic GmbH, said: “For this show, we are targeting mainly Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, Cambodia, even Taiwan, and we have had some good contacts and discussions already. Our long-term contact with Messe Frankfurt, paired with the cooperation from our new Vietnam sales partner, led to us deciding that this fair could be a good starting point.”

By leveraging the diverse participation at its over 50 textile fairs in 13 countries, Messe Frankfurt's Texpertise Network will enable next year’s edition of VIATT to serve as an ideal platform for connecting Vietnamese businesses with international players, facilitating cross-border trade, knowledge sharing and collaboration.

The Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE), covering the entire textile industry value chain. For more details on this fair, please visit www.viatt.com.vn or contact [email protected].

The second edition will be held from 26 – 28 February 2025.

Other upcoming shows

- Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition, 14-16 August 2024, Shanghai

- Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition / Yarn Expo Autumn, 27-29 August 2024, Shanghai

- Cinte Techtextil China, 19-21 September 2024, Shanghai

- DS Printech China, 11-13 November 2024, Guangzhou

- Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition / Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition / Yarn Expo Spring, 11-13 March 2025, Shanghai

www.messefrankfurt.com.hk