HCM City (VNA)💜 – The 24th International Shoes & Leather Exhibition and the International Footwear and Leather Products Exhibition (IELE- Vietnam) kicked off at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City on July 10, showing a variety of shoe making and tanning machinery and technologies, leather and other materials, shoe components and accessories, and finished products.

This year's events gather more than 800 exhibitors from 20 countries and territories, including Italy, Germany, France, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK). Nguyen Duc Thuan, Chairman of the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO), said that the annual event offers an opportunity for businesses, investors and buyers to visit, promote trade connections, approach potential customers and seek investment cooperation. Vietnamese enterprises will have a chance to introduce their products to purchasers and partners both at home and abroad in an attempt to expand markets and export opportunities, he added. Besides, seminars introducing cutting-edge technologies in production, new research and development trends in the shoe-making industry will also be held during three days of the events. Visitors and consumers can also experience the shopping space and seek supply sources from input materials to the finished products of various global brands. The exhibition, the leading event of the shoes industry in the ASEAN region, is expected to attract about 15,000 commercial visitors. Vietnam earned nearly 24 billion USD from leather and footwear exports in 2023. Vietnamese footwear and handbags are currently available in 150 markets, of which the US accounts for 35% of the market share, the EU 26%, and China 9%./.