The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has made the decision to cancel Vietfish 2020 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The annual seafood show was scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City from 26 to 28 August this year. In a statement issued on 30 June, VASEP said its decision was based on complications arising from the global COVID-19 outbreak and on feedback from exhibitors.
Although commercial activity has largely returned to normal in Vietnam due to the country’s thus-far successful containment of the spread of coronavirus domestically, the global ramifications of the virus’ spread has hurt Vietnam’s seafood exports.
VASEP said recommendations from some countries their citizens not to travel unless in case of emergency, and the lack of containment of the virus in some countries, has made hosting this year’s event infeasible..
“To ensure public health and the efficient execution of the exhibition, we regret to make a decision to cancel the Vietfish 2020,” VASEP said.
Next year’s edition of the event has been scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City from 25 to 27 August, 2021. Those who have paid registration fees for the event this year will have them rolled into next year’s event.
Earlier this year, Vietnam’s General Department of Fisheries and the Can Tho City government decided to reschedule the Vietshrimp Aquaculture International Fair 2020 for a second time over fears of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event is now scheduled to take place from 7 to 9 October in Can Tho, in the Mekong Delta area. In early February, the exhibition was postponed from 25 to 27 March to 3 to 5 June.
Photo courtesy of Toan Dao/SeafoodSource
