The Vietnam Exposition Centre (VEC), the venue of the Spring Fair 2026. Photo: VNA  

Taking place during the peak “golden window” of the year-end market, the First Glorious Spring Fair 2026 is designed to align political, economic and cultural objectives, from supporting businesses and boosting production to developing the domestic market while celebrating the value of Vietnamese goods and the distinctive spirit of the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet).

Speaking to the press, Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), said the fair is positioned not merely as a Tet shopping event but as a key instrument in the ministry’s broader strategy to stimulate consumption, stabilise the market and sustain last year's economic growth momentum in 2026.

Scheduled for February 2–13, the event is framed as a Tet consumer shopping festival and is expected to deliver a strong demand stimulus. It will offer a large-scale, centralised shopping venue featuring high-quality products and regional specialties, enabling consumers to access a wide range of goods at reasonable prices.

A defining feature of the fair, he said, is the seamless integration of the three pillars of politics, economy and culture. The event reflects the Party and State’s determination to strengthen the domestic market, stimulate consumption and support enterprises, while also embodying a governance approach in which the State plays a facilitating and accompanying role in trade promotion, domestic market development and international integration for export growth.

Economic considerations form the central axis of the fair, evident in its national scale, value-chain-based exhibition content, supply – demand linkages, and connections between production, distribution, the domestic market and international markets.

Cultural elements are embedded through spaces recreating traditional and regional Tet customs, alongside zones highlighting local cultures, craft villages, cuisine, arts and cultural industries. These elements act as a “soft catalyst” for trade promotion, helping to project Vietnam’s image and people while enhancing the value and competitiveness of Vietnamese products at home and abroad.

On consumption stimulation measures, Phu said programmes at the fair are being implemented in a coordinated and focused manner, closely tied to quality control. All products on show are Vietnamese goods with clear origins that meet standards for quality, food safety and reasonable pricing. Many businesses are offering Tet promotions, discounts and price-stabilisation schemes, directly reducing shopping costs for consumers.

By eliminating intermediary stages and linking producers, distributors and consumers more directly, the fair is expected to deliver more competitive prices than those on the wider market, and also improve transparency and strengthen consumer confidence in domestic products, particularly as interest in quality and traceability continues to rise.

Notably, stimulation programmes are combined with communications activities, hands-on experiences and consumer consultation, providing comprehensive information on products, sales policies, after-sales services and corporate commitments. This approach is seen as crucial to reassuring consumers at a time when purchasing power remains influenced by broader economic conditions.

Phu added that if the Autumn Fair 2025 marked the opening “shot”, the Spring Fair 2026 represents a decisive step forward in implementing the Government's Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP for 2026 and the Prime Minister's Official Dispatch No. 06/CD-TTg, dated January 24, 2026, on key tasks and measures to achieve the economic growth target for 2026.

Spanning 12 peak Tet shopping days, the fair is expected to set a new revenue benchmark. With Tet spending on essential goods and gifts typically doubling or tripling, and the participation of around 2,500 enterprises across 3,000 booths, the MoIT forecasts total transaction value will surpass the previous level of 1 trillion VND (38.3 million USD).

Looking ahead, Vietrade plans to standardise the organisation of national fairs in a more professional, modern and distinctive manner, ensuring continuity between editions and gradually building trade promotion events with strong national branding and regional reach. Digital transformation will be accelerated across the entire fair chain, alongside stronger linkages with national trade promotion programmes, domestic market development, national branding and export promotion initiatives.

Greater participation from the private sector, industry associations and localities will also be encouraged, with fair organisation gradually socialised, while the State retains its role in providing orientation, facilitation and supervision to ensure quality, effectiveness and sustainability.

Through these efforts, the MoIT aims to develop a professional, modern and sustainable national fair and exhibition system, serving as a key trade promotion infrastructure to support businesses, expand markets and advance international economic integration in the period ahead./.