By Park Hye Ri
Photos = Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
"2022 K-Expo Vietnam" in Hanoi, Vietnam, will allow visitors to experience a diversity of Hallyu (Korean Wave) content.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Oct. 12 said it is cohosting the event with other government organizations to support the joint overseas advance of Hallyu content and related industries.
The event's cohosts are the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries; Ministry of SMEs and Startups; Korea Creative Content Agency; Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency; Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp.; Small and Medium Business Distribution Center; and Korea International Trade Association.
K-Expo, as Korea's first pan-government project, was launched this year to expand the foreign advances of the nation's small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and promote Korean culture abroad through the major economic ripple effects of Hallyu on consumer goods.
The exhibition seeks to boost foreign sales and promotion of products including Hallyu content that recently took the world by storm, agricultural and seafood products, and Brand K, a joint national brand of SMEs.
The expo will consist of two parts to expand opportunities for participation by businesses and consumers and offer more programs.
The first event from Oct. 15-16 at the National Convention Center (NCC) in Hanoi will feature an exhibition and interactive program highlighting immersive content technology, another to promote goods and their sales, cooking and sampling of Korean food, and a dance competition.
The NCC on Oct. 16 will host an outdoor concert with Korean acts like AB6IX, Moonbin & Sanha, and Baek Ji Young as well as Vietnamese counterparts including Min, BinZ and Jestatee to provide relief to Hallyu fans weary from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Individual consultations on exports and a forum are slated for Oct. 17-18 at the JW Marriott Hotel to support connections among some 250 Korean businesses related to Hallyu and around 605 overseas buyers in Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand.
The second event, KBEE 2022 Hanoi, on Oct. 27 at the Hanoi International Exhibition Center will see a concert of K-pop acts such as Winner, Kim Se-jeong and Blanky. Among other events are an Oct. 28 meetup for Hallyu stars and their Vietnamese fans, Korean beauty makeup show, and interactive events of cooking Korean food and wearing Hanbok (traditional clothing).
More information on the programs and schedules are available on the festival's official website (www.kexpo2022.com).
