167 firms in beauty, food sectors join exhibition

Over 320 Vietnamese buyers attend export consultations

Korea International Trade Association Vice Chairman Lee In-ho (sixth from left) and other officials pose for a photo at the 2026 Vietnam International Premium Consumer Goods Fair held at the SECC exhibition center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Thursday. [Korea International Trade Association]
Korea International Trade Association Vice Chairman Lee In-ho (sixth from left) and other officials pose for a photo at the 2026 Vietnam International Premium Consumer Goods Fair held at the SECC exhibition center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Thursday. [Korea International Trade Association]

The Korea International Trade Association and Coex have opened a major trade exhibition in Vietnam to expand exports of Korean premium consumer goods, including K-beauty products, food and fashion items.

KITA announced Friday that the 2026 Vietnam International Premium Consumer Goods Fair, known as VIPREMIUM, runs Thursday through Sunday at the SECC exhibition center in Ho Chi Minh City.

Now in its 14th edition, the fair aims to broaden the reach of Korean premium consumer goods in Vietnam — a hub of the hallyu wave across Southeast Asia that has posted average annual economic growth of 6.3 percent over the past five years. A total of 167 domestic and international companies in beauty, fashion, food, and living and interior goods are taking part. Participating firms are holding export consultations with Vietnamese buyers to secure local distribution networks and open new sales channels.

KITA and Coex invited more than 320 major local buyers to facilitate business matching with Korean companies. Son Kim Retail, which operates GS25's Vietnam business, and Hanmin Group, a cosmetics distribution company, are among the participants. More than 1,000 one-on-one export consultations are expected to take place over the course of the event.

Alongside the exhibition, seminars and consumer experience events will offer insights into the local market. Sessions covering Vietnamese beauty market trends and TikTok marketing strategies will share e-commerce approaches and consumer marketing know-how with participating companies. Cultural programs will also run throughout the fair, including a K-beauty makeup show, a K-food tasting event, and hands-on activities such as ddakji, dalgona candy making and hanbok, or traditional Korean clothing, try-ons.

"Vietnam is a key market with strong consumer preference for Korean cosmetics, food and other K-consumer goods," KITA Vice Chairman Lee In-ho said at the opening ceremony. "As this exhibition — now in its 14th year — has grown into a leading platform symbolizing business exchange between the two countries, we will provide comprehensive support to help Korean companies achieve tangible export results."

Coex President Cho Sang-hyun said Vietnam's rapid growth is driving a premiumization of local consumer trends. "We will continue to develop the exhibition so that companies can expand their local distribution networks and consumer touchpoints in line with a changing market, and build a sustainable export foundation," he said.

Meanwhile, KITA has been actively supporting Korean companies' entry into the Vietnamese market and the creation of new business opportunities. On Monday, it co-hosted a seminar on the investment environment and business case studies in Haiphong with the Haiphong People's Committee and the Vietnamese Embassy in Korea, at the Trade Tower in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.


eyre@heraldcorp.com