The event was hosted by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism with the support of the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the Ministry of SMEs and Start-ups. It was also the first time five Korean ministries have held such a large-scale expo abroad.
The K-Expo aims to expand overseas sales channels for Korean SMEs, popularise Korean culture and make the most of the Hallyu wave in the region to expand into Southeast Asian markets.
The first part of the event took place at the National Convention Centre and JW Marriott hotel from October 15-18, showcasing Korean food, agro-fisheries and national trademarks. The second part is scheduled for October 27-28 at the Hanoi International Exhibition Centre with consumer goods and services.
The event has attracted about 250 Korean firms and 605 others from Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand with import-export consultancies, B2B matching and a networking seminar.
It also affords the RoK a chance to introduce its plan to host World Expo Busan 2030 and Korea Sale FESTA 2022.
Sideline events include exhibitions, virtual reality demonstrations, culinary offerings, and a dance competition.
The second K-Concert is slated for October 27 in Hanoi with Winner, singer Kim Se-jeong and BLANK2Y taking part.
