Connections established at VIS 2025 have provided a foundation for the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden to continue bringing a Nordic business delegation to VIS 2026, further expanding cooperation.
From VIS Connections to Concrete Cooperation
The connections established at Vietnam International Sourcing 2025 have laid the groundwork for the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden to continue organizing a Nordic business delegation to attend VIS 2026. From fashion and food to logistics, the return of previous partners and the participation of new companies indicate that VIS is gradually becoming a practical cooperation channel between Vietnam and the Nordic region.
In 2025, the Nordic business delegation organized by the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, concurrently responsible for Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Latvia, carried out a nearly two-week working program in Vietnam, with the Vietnam International Sourcing Fair as its central focus.
VIS not only enabled businesses to directly access Vietnamese suppliers, but also opened opportunities for more in-depth engagement with government agencies, local authorities, industry associations, seaports, factories and logistics partners.
The results of the visit showed that Vietnam–Nordic cooperation is expanding beyond traditional trade transactions to include supply chain development, investment, logistics and green transition.
In the fashion sector, H&M used VIS 2025 as an opportunity to engage with Vietnamese businesses and government authorities on supplier development, renewable energy use, emissions reduction and retail expansion. The Group continues to regard Vietnam as an important link in its global sourcing network, as well as a consumer market with substantial development potential.
In the logistics sector, discussions between the Port of Gothenburg and Vietnamese seaports, shipping lines, exporters and logistics organizations helped move the goal of establishing direct Vietnam–Nordic transport links from a general direction toward more concrete forms of cooperation.
Memoranda of understanding signed during and after the program have opened prospects for stronger port-to-port cooperation, the development of green logistics, and research into direct maritime routes between Vietnam and the Nordic region.
A direct shipping route would help reduce dependence on transshipment, shorten delivery times, improve supply chain stability and facilitate Vietnamese goods’ access to Nordic and wider European markets.
In the field of sustainable development, the participation of IKEA and H&M demonstrated that Nordic corporations are placing increasing emphasis on renewable materials, sustainable forest management, clean energy, circularity and traceability. These requirements not only set new standards for Vietnamese businesses, but also create opportunities to upgrade technology, improve production efficiency and participate more deeply in global value chains.
Vietnamese Products Move from Trade Fairs to Nordic Markets
Food companies are among the clearest examples of VIS’s commercial effectiveness. Through previous editions of the fair, a range of Vietnamese products have been selected by Swedish importers and introduced to the market, including bread, cassava, green papaya, frozen crab soup, sticky rice with shrimp wrapped in lotus leaves, and ST25 rice.
The product portfolio has also expanded to items aligned with healthy eating trends, such as red cargo rice, purple brown rice and upland sticky rice.
These results show that opportunities for Vietnamese food products in the Nordic market extend beyond traditional export items. Processed foods, convenience foods, ingredients for restaurants and products reflecting Vietnamese culinary identity all have potential if businesses are connected with the right partners and adapt their products appropriately to market requirements.
VIS allows importers to directly sample products and discuss packaging, specifications, pricing and distribution channels. This is an important step in helping Vietnamese businesses understand actual market demand instead of developing products based on assumptions from afar.
Affirming the Role of the Trade Office
Building on the foundation established in 2025, the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden will continue organizing a Nordic business delegation to participate in VIS 2026.
H&M will return to the event for the second consecutive year. A representative of the Group said that its continued participation reflects confidence in Vietnam’s development prospects and a commitment to building a flexible, resilient and sustainable supply chain.
In the food sector, A Chau Lien Imports and Export AB and East Asian Food AB will participate in VIS for the third time, while Lagerqvist AB will attend for the first time. The return of previous participants indicates that the program has generated sufficiently concrete results for importers to continue seeking products and partners in Vietnam.
At the same time, the participation of new companies helps expand import and distribution networks and creates additional market opportunities for Vietnamese goods. The delegation list is expected to be further expanded with companies from a variety of sectors.
An international business delegation does not begin on the opening day of a trade fair, nor does it end when the event closes. Before the event, the Trade Office studies the needs of Nordic companies, identifies partners with cooperation potential and connects them with suitable Vietnamese businesses.
During VIS, the Trade Office organizes B2B meetings, market and site visits, and working sessions with government agencies, industry associations, factories and logistics facilities.
The post-event stage is particularly important. The Trade Office continues supporting document exchanges, product sampling, product adjustments and follow-up communications so that initial meetings can develop into orders, projects or long-term partnerships.
The role of the Trade Office therefore goes beyond simply bringing businesses to the fair. More importantly, it helps translate the needs of Nordic markets into concrete opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises.
VIS 2026 is scheduled to take place from September 3-5, 2026 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center, SECC, in Ho Chi Minh City. The event combines exhibitions, sector-specific seminars and direct business matching between Vietnamese enterprises and international corporations, importers and distribution systems.
The value of VIS lies not only in the number of exhibition booths or business meetings. More importantly, the event connects different links in the value chain, from raw materials, production and sourcing to logistics, technology and sustainable development.