A show spokesperson said that with 86 million people, nearly 1 million automobiles and about 26 million motorbikes and bicycles, Vietnam was a huge potential market.

The show will feature means of road transport; parts and accessories; equipment for spare parts manufacturing, assembly, repair and maintenance, plus services and petrol products.

About 200 companies with 300 stalls have registered to participate, an increase of 30 percent from last year, the spokesperson said. Among them are Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Group, Truong Hai Auto, Hyundai Vietnam, Isuzu, BMW, Audi, Volkswagen.

Up to 55 percent are foreign companies, including those from the Republic of Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand.

The Vietnam Society of Automotive Engineers general secretary, Du Quoc Thinh, said “The larger show is a positive sign to the Vietnamese automobile industry and supporting industries, particularly in the present difficult time.”

The show will be jointly organised by Hanoi Advertising and International Fair Joint Stock Co and Taiwan’s New Epoch Co Ltd in co-operation with the Institute for Industry Policy and Strategy.