Michael Snow
On behalf of the American Hardwood Export Council, it is with great pleasure that I welcome all of you to the 2019 AHEC Southeast Asia Convention in the picturesque city of Hanoi—capital of the fastest growing major market for US hardwoods.
These past twelve months have seen significant disruption in global trade, but one clear bright spot has been the ever-closer ties between the US hardwood industry and Vietnamese manufacturers and specifiers. Indeed, 2018 was the highest year on record for trade between our two countries, with US hardwood lumber exports alone topping $223 million This Convention is designed to helped further strengthen these bonds, as our aim is not only to introduce US exporters to Asian importers, but to also help foster the relationships between Asian end users and specifies and the local wood processing industry and distributors of American hardwoods.
It is no simple matter to put the day-to-day running of a business on hold to attend an event such as this, and we have worked hard to bring together an array of top-flight speakers and experts from around the world. I sincerely hope that you find this Convention to be both timely and useful, and look forward to working with all of you toward creating an even closer bond between the US hardwood industry and Asia’s architectural, design and manufacturing industries.
John Chan
It is my great pleasure to announce our AHEC SEA Convention is scheduled on June 25 at the Sheraton Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam. I sincerely invite you to attend this most anticipated event and also our first SEA convention in the Capital of Vietnam.
Exports of U.S. hardwood products to SEA market have set a new record since 2014. The value of hardwood export in 2018 moved up 9.6%(YoY) to US$363.8 million - 3% higher than 2014. The exports value of hardwood lumber to SEA has increased 9.7% (YoY) to US$285 million, logs up 15.6% (YoY) to US$56 million and veneer valued US$21 million.
We chose Hanoi to host the 2019 AHEC SEA convention because it is an important economic hub in Northern Vietnam and Capital of Vietnam. The economy continues robust growth in 2019 and foreign investment has helped drive it closer to “Asian Tiger” status. Vietnam’s timber products exports in 2018 reached US$9.4 billion with a double-digit growth. With the Ministry of Agricultural Rural Development support, the timber and product processing industry has set a goal of timber products export growth to reach US$20 billion by 2025. Vietnam has developed as the second single biggest market for US hardwood in Asia and first in Southeast Asia. In 2018 it increased 17.5% (YoY) and accounted for 77.3% of the SEA market, reaching US$281 million and is expecting further double digit growth in 2019.
The Convention will be hosted by AHEC and supported by the Vietnam Timber & Forest Product Association (VIFORES), Handicraft & Wood Industry Association of Hochiminh City (HAWA), Binh Duong Furniture Association (BIFA), Forest Products Association of Binh Dinh (FPA BinhDinh) and Vietnam Association of Architects (VAA). It is expected to attract over 250 delegates and 30 AHEC hardwood exporting members to attend. A mini-trade show will be held at the convention for AHEC members, providing an invaluable platform for networking with local traders, distributors, manufacturers and specifiers.
At this Convention, we will feature several keynote presentations to address the application, sustainability and lower carbon future of American hardwood for interior design and furniture manufacturing, new technology and NHLA lumber grading rules for American hardwoods. The representative of VIFORES will present an update on Vietnam’s timber product processing situation and the opportunity of imported timber to meet this increasing demand in the years to come.
As the Host of the Convention, AHEC is grateful for the strong support from trade and design industries, associations, communities and media across Southeast Asia and Vietnam. I would also like to thank the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, the American hardwood industry and AHEC members for their continual support. Last but not least, I would like to thank all the delegates and participants for attending the event and I wish you all an enjoyable Convention. I am confident you will make new business partnerships and explore new business opportunities while enjoying the AHEC program we have planned for you.
