HCM City (VNA) – The 2017 Vietnam FisheriesInternational Exhibition (Vietfish) opened at the Saigon Exhibition andConvention Centre in Ho Chi Minh City on August 29 with seafood producers and exportersfrom 15 countries in attendance.

The expo, themed “Asia’s Home of Seafood", features over350 booths showcasing seafood products and machinery and equipment foraquaculture by over 200 exhibitors from Vietnam and foreign countries, forexample, Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, and Denmark.

Opening the event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture andRural Development Vu Van Tam highlighted the significance of Vietfish over thepast 18 years, saying it has been an effective marketing platform to promoteVietnamese aquatic products to international consumers.

[Seafood exports roses by 18.1 percent in 8 months]

A series of activities will also take place on thesidelines of the exhibition, including a cooking show, launches of new productsand an aquaculture seminar.

The annual event is held by the Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development and the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters andProducers until August 31.

Seafood exports have contributed to 6-7 percent ofVietnam’s total export revenue and 4-5 percent of the country’s Gross DomesticProducts over the past few years.

Exports of seafood hit 3.5 billion USD during the firsthalf of 2017, up 14.1 percent from the same period last year.

Vietnam is now on the world’s Top 5 seafood producers withproducts brought to 165 countries and territories worldwide.-VNA