Vietbuild, a convergence point for traders, suppliers and contractors in the construction and building materials sectors, received off to a good start yesterday in HCM City as its opening coincided with a decision by the government to turn the building materials industry into a spearhead sector after 2010.
Biggest industry event
As many as 800 exhibitors from across the world are showcasing their products, technologies and machinery at Vietbuild 2008 taking place at HCM City's Phu Tho Indoor Stadium until September 7.
The organiser said among the exhibitors are 429 domestic enterprises, 242 joint -venture enterprises and 138 foreign enterprises, the last-named group coming from Australia, China, Italy, Switzerland, the US, Singapore, New Zealand, Britain, France, Germany and others. They are showcasing ample wares at up to 2,200 booths at the five-day event.
Pham Van Bien, head of the organising committee, told the Daily that Vietbuild 2008 had become the largest-ever industry event for local and overseas suppliers of materials and services. He expected sales at the event alone would amount to hundreds of billions of dong.
In his opening address on Wednesday, deputy minister of construction Nguyen Van Lien said, "Vietbuild 2008 has become a significant regional construction event for Vietnam. Many foreign companies have decided to choose Vietbuild to introduce their products and brand names."
Apart from building materials, exhibitors are also showing off their interior-exterior decoration items and sanitation porcelain products, many of them produced on high technologies. There are also other special products like doors, swimming pools, tiles and equipment for the construction industry among others.
Vietbuild 2008 is also seen as a good opportunity for local companies to introduce their products to foreign markets, get access to latest technology by foreign companies and forge partnerships with international partners, Bien of the organising committee commented.
Ear on new government move
While the construction show is attracting large crowds, the government this week made a new move to bolster the building materials industry, mapping out a master plan for the sector's development to 2020.
The government's website www.chinhphu.vn carried the prime minister's decision 121/2008/QD-TTg, stressing the need to make the building materials industry a strong one after 2010, meeting local and overseas demands.
"Potentials on mineral resources, market, technologies and labour will be tapped to turn the building materials industry into a strong economic sector from 2010, meeting local demands and boosting exports," according to the decision.
Production of basic materials like cement, floor tiles, sanitary wares, construction glass, roofing sheets and tiles, as well as new materials friendly to the environment will be promoted, according to the master plan.
For each type of building materials, the master plan gives orientations on the investment scale, technology to be employed, and even the ratio of energy consumed for each unit or product.
Specific targets for locally-produced materials include 200 million square metres of construction glass and 112 million tonnes of cement by 2020. Technology is also highlighted, as the prime minister suggests that local tool manufacturers should be able to make production lines for building materials by2015.
|
Advertising
