The fairs, namely the Hong Kong International Wine Fair and the Food Expo 2008, the Hong Kong International Medical and Health Care Fair 2008 and the International Conference and Exhibition of the Modernization of the Chinese Medicine and Health Product 2008, opened at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on August 14.

Vietnam’s traditional products, including seafood, wine, cashew nuts, confectionery and aloe wood, attracted a great number of visitors and won many foreign orders on the first day of the fairs.

Vietnam’s Deputy Consul General and chief trade representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Hong Kong, Vu Thinh Cuong, said the fairs provide chances for Vietnam’s products to enter not only Hong Kong but also other regional markets.

Mr Cuong added that Vietnam’s imports from Hong Kong hit US$1.3 billion in the first half of the year, up 28.9 percent from the same period last year while its exports to the territory fetched US$422 million, an annual rise of 28.4 percent.