Best Garment Manufacturing Trade Shows in Vietnam

This page is about Garment Manufacturing Trade Shows in Vietnam

Below I describe the Sourcing at Magic apparel trade show and the two most popular garment trade shows in Vietnam. Since 2012 I have been exhibiting for Vietnamese factories both in Vietnam and overseas.

If you are American then my best advice is to go to the Sourcing at Magic show with sample in hand and get price estimates from as many factories in different countries as you can. If you are European then I recommend you go to the Textile World in Paris and choose your fabric first and ask for introductions to overseas sewing factories. If you can make it to Hong Kong then I recommend the Globalsources trade show.

Watch our introduction video then keep reading below about the best garment manufacturing trade shows in Vietnam.

Most people are disappointed with the best garment manufacturing trade shows in Vietnam. The reason is that most of the exhibitors are Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese and Indian. These exhibitors are selling fabric, trims, accessories and machinery. Very few sewing factories exhibit at the best garment manufacturing trade shows in Vietnam: Saigontex, Vietnam Textile and Garment and Printing and Packaging Vietnam.

Seriously, your sourcing money is more well spent paying someone like me to introduce you directly to factories. Let's chat about the best garment manufacturing trade shows in Vietnam.

SOURCING at MAGIC

I love trade shows because I love meeting people from all walks of life. The SOURCING at MAGIC is my favorite apparel manufacturing trade show because I meet a lot of start up fashion designers with tons of questions about producing apparel in Vietnam. I answer their questions and introduce them to my network of Vietnamese sewing factories. If you are in Las Vegas during Magic you can visit 11 fashion trade shows! The sourcing show is just one of 11 where you can get inspiration and learn about trends and manufacturing. They are calling it ONE MAGIC since they are combining all 11 shows in one convention center. In previous years, the 11 shows were spread out around the Las Vegas strip. For more information check out: https://one-magic.com/vision/ I know that Sourcing at Magic is not the best garment manufacturing trade shows in Vietnam but given situations like COVID it is a great alternative.

SOURCING @ MAGIC: Meet sewing factories and fabric sellers from China, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, USA and more.

FOOTWEAR SOURCING @ MAGIC: Meet factories from around the world who can make your shoe designs

WWDMAGIC: Meet young contemporary and trend-driven ready to wear fashion brands for women

FN PLATFORM: Meet luxury to lifestyle branded footwear for men, women, juniors, and children

PROJECT WOMENS: Meet contemporary and season-less lifestyle fashion brands for women

STITCH @ PROJECT WOMENS: Meet luxury to lifestyle womenswear and accessories brands

POOLTRADESHOW: Meet independent, art-inspired fashion and accessories brands for men and women

PROJECT: Meet contemporary sportswear and accessories brands for men and women

MAGIC MEN’S: Meet branded and licensed apparel brands for men and young men

MRKET: Meet classic to lifestyle better menswear

CHILDREN’S CLUB: Meet elevated lifestyle collections for children

That is a lot of FASHION in one place! If there is a trend happening in US fashion then you’ll find it in Vegas. The last show in February had 14,914 visitors, 733 exhibitors and 36 exhibiting countries.

Jessie Zhang and Chris Bryer work for Magic and have answers. Jessie can help us reserve a booth and Chris can help us find the perfect factory and set up a private meeting with factory owners. I always go to them when I have questions. Here are some questions I have. Where is the best hotel to stay at? Westgate is the best hotel because it is right next to the convention center. May I bring my eldest son will be with me? Yes, children are allowed in but the parents must sign a waiver for the kids to enter. Ask Jessie and Chris their opinion about the best garment manufacturing trade shows in Vietnam.

Is it worth your time and money to go to the Global Sources Apparel Sourcing trade show in Hong Kong to meet Vietnamese apparel manufacturers?

The Global Sources apparel sourcing trade show will take place on the 27, 28, 29, 30th of April at the AsiaWorld Expo, next to Hong Kong International Airport. It is a great place to meet sewing factories from Vietnam. You will meet more Vietnamese sewing factories in Hong Kong than you would if you attended the best garment manufacturing trade shows in Vietnam: VTG, Saigontex and Hanoitex.

The cost to attend the Hong Kong show can be as high as US$2,000. Flights on average are $500 one way, hotels are about $100 a day, food is about $100 per day and transportation each day can cost around $20. Is it worth it to spend two days and two grand? If you get one new factory from the trip and meet Vietnamese sourcing experts that can introduce you to more, then yes it’s worth it.

There will be 34 Vietnamese apparel manufacturers in the Vietnam Pavillion. This year, April 2019, there will be 6 knit sewing factories, 10 woven sewing factories, 1 cap factory, 1 travel bags and luggage factory, 1 sock factory, 1 denim factory, 2 silk scarve factories, 3 eco-friendly fashion bags and slipper factories, 1 shoe factory and 1 sports clothes factory. All are export-ready and offer OEM and ODM services.

Worst case scenario is that if you can't find any perfect fit factories then you can get a rough price estimates as a starting point. You now can compare prices you get from Vietnamese factories at the show with Chinese factories at the show. There will be 114 Chinese apparel manufacturers you can quotes from the same day.

The Vietnamese factory owners can give you insight about Vietnam’s strengths, weaknesses, loopholes and free trade agreements if you have precise questions prepared in advance. The key is to show genuine interest in their service, maybe make some referrals and make friendly conversation to get information.

Meet the local Vietnam Global Sources team members: Khiem, Xuan, Quyen and Chris. We each have our own personal network of factories, personal experiences and access to the whole Globalsources database. Khiem manages all Globalsources activities in Vietnam and specializes in apparels and furniture. Xuan is a sourcing consultant for footwear, bags and accessories. Quyen is an export consultant for houseware. Chris specializes in sportswear and dye sublimation.

If the best garment manufacturing trade shows in Vietnam don't work for you, then go to the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair. It was established in 1957. It is held twice a year in April and October.

The Fair boasts an exhibition area of 1.18 million m² per session, with 150,000 exhibit varieties in 16 industries, and the number of exhibitors from home and abroad stands at nearly 25,000. In each session, about 200,000 buyers attend the Fair from more than 210 countries and regions all over the world.

The Canton Fair is split into three phases. Phase 1 showcases electronics, lighting equipment, vehicles & spare parts, machinery, hardware & tools, construction materials, chemical products and energy resources. Phase 2 showcases consumer goods, gifts, and home decorations. Phase 3 textiles and garments, shoes, office supplies, cases and bags, recreation products, food , health products and medical devices.

You will get one badge for all shows and it's good for life so don't lose it! The lines can be very long to get a new badge.

It is held at the China Import and Export Fair (Pazhou) Complex, 380 Yuejiangzhong Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou. Here is the Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/spL5Si97ygp. The total number of booths for all three phases is 60,400. There are 24,429 Chinese exhibitors and 620 international exhibitors. 213 countries are represented at the show.

My friend Fred has been to the Canton Fair 10 tens time and here is his advice. Get there early and leave by 1 pm because it gets so crowded in the afternoon it's hard to move around and talk to the vendors comfortably. Take the shuttle from your hotel to the show. The shuttles drop you off at a convenient location. Taxis drop you off outside of the exhibition center and you have to walk very far to get the entrance. Sign up for Didi which is like Uber and use it to get transportation. Avoid taxis's if you can. If you take a taxi then have them drop you off at the Westin hotel which is adjacent to the convention center. Getting taxis at lunch time is possible but getting a taxi at the end of the day is difficult because everyone is leaving at the same time and there are not enough taxis. Eat a big breakfast and take snacks with you because the food options at the show are limited, inconvenient and very Chinese. Language is not an issue, 90% of the vendors either speak English well or have translators. One solution to dealing with the slow and restricted Internet is to use a Google phone which allows you to use all your Google Apps in China. If you set up a VPN to use in China then set it up before you arrive in China.

WeChat used to be a great way to pay suppliers and restaurants in China but now the government rules changed. You can't use WeChat to pay or send money anymore. You need to have a Chinese bank account and you need a work permit to get a Chinese bank account. Wear walking shoes and plan to get a foot massage each day. One nice thing about the Canton fair is that the have a hall specifically with many chairs for you to sit and rest. Hotels triple their prices during the show so don't be surprised.

I have never been to the show but China Worx, a sourcing company based in China, has this to say about the Canton Fair. “Will you get tons of contacts to new suppliers and new product ideas? Yes. Will you find the cheapest suppliers for the product that you are searching for? Probably not. Most of the supplier at the Canton Fair are used to dealing with foreigners and to ship their products around the whole world which is definitely a plus. However, you need to be aware that those companies won’t have the cheapest pricing for the products that you are searching for. The Canton Fair has gotten incredibly popular over the last years and therefore attracts many wealthier customers from western countries which is driving the prices up. To find the cheapest supplier in China you would have to either carry out extensive research on Chinese platforms like 1688.com or hire a sourcing agent like us.” https://www.china-worx.com/canton-fair-2019