On display at 250 stands are materials and products of the garment and textiles industry along with new fashion collections.

Le Trung Hai, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), said the VIFF is an important activity of the industry’s development strategy aimed at improving the competitiveness of the Vietnamese products in overseas markets.

It also provides a good opportunity for garment makers to meet with equipment manufacturers, he added.

A number of seminars on the industry’s supply chains will also be held as part of the week-long event.

Garment exports fetched US$10.5 billion in January-September 2011 and are expected to hit US$13 billion by the year's end.

Vietnam's garment exports now rank fourth in the world after China, India and Bangladesh.