“Enterprises need to quickly seize new opportunities to become better equipped, so they can develop when the global economy recovers,” said the Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce Nguyen Thanh Bien at the opening ceremony of the expo in Hanoi on May 20.

He added that in the past, the manufacturing industry had always played a leading role in developing the country’s economy. Some sectors turned out products of high economic value, namely automobile spare parts, electronics and electricity generators, attracting keen interest and investment from overseas.

A member of the organising board, Reed Tradex CEO Nichapa Yoswee, praised the potential and strong growth of Vietnam’s manufacturing industry in the recent past.

She added that Reed Tradex plans to organise more expos to focus on other industries in Vietnam in 2012 to spur the development of Vietnam’s industries, as well as its economy in the future.

The three-day expo, called “The Vietnam Manufacturing Expo”, drew the participation of 450 local and foreign enterprises from 25 countries and territories.