Exhibitors are displaying eight main groups of products in more than 400 booths including ceramics and pottery; bamboo and rattan; furniture; lacquer ware; mother-of-pearl inlay; embroidery; silks; stone products and animal horn handicrafts.

The Craft Show made a good impression on visitors during its first day with the numerous exhibitors and the wide range of items on display, especially the open stalls created by designers from France, Spain and the Philippines.

Conferences will be organised during the event to introduce potential markets in Scandinavia and North America, and improve the design capacity of Vietnamese craftsmen.

The Hanoi Craft Show 2011, hosted by the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee and the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, offers an opportunity for businesses and handicraft producers from Hanoi and across the country to seek partners, introduce and promote their products, and expand their markets at home and abroad, for their own development as well as that of the Vietnamese handicraft sector, said Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh at the exhibition opening.

The Deputy Minister hoped that this initial exhibition will a prerequisite for the capital to expand the scale in the future, aiming to make it an annual international fair for manufacturers, exporters and consumers to seek opportunities for cooperation and business.

In his address at the event, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi Municipal People's Committee, Nguyen Van Suu, said the Hanoi Craft Show 2011 features five distinct elements, including the exhibitors’ new products, open visitor-friendly display spaces; careful preparation; professional advertising and invitations, and standard services for participants and visitors.

The ongoing Hanoi Craft Show 2001 will remain open until November 12.

Hanoi’s handicraft sector exports earned US$100 million in 2010 and expects to reach US$140 million in 2011.

Hanoi Craft Show attracts many international visitors. Vietnam travel agencies believe that Vietnam will take many shows in other provinces with more diverse topics to attract international visitor to Vietnam.