The newly-opened Vietnam Exposition Center (VEC) in Hanoi is anchoring the country’s aggressive push to challenge established regional hubs for the global business events economy.
Developed by conglomerate Vingroup, the 90-hectare mega-complex stands as South-east Asia’s largest all-in-one exposition and event venue, designed to capture top-tier international events as rising venue costs squeeze organiser budgets in traditional destination markets.
At the heart of the Hanoi venue is the Kim Quy Exhibition Hall, a 13-hectare centrepiece featuring flexible operational zoning. Vingroup is already planning to scale this infrastructure footprint into southern Vietnam with the VEC Can Gio project in Ho Chi Minh City. This upcoming sister complex will house Blue Wave Theater, a 60,000-capacity venue engineered to become the largest theatre in Southeast Asia.
Geoff Dickinson, CEO of global energy event organiser dmg events, stated that Vietnam’s deliberate hardware planning is the decisive factor in drawing major international business. “You cannot attract ministers, government representatives, or the world’s 5,000 largest corporations by chance. They come because of deliberate planning and infrastructure development.”
To eliminate weather risks for major outdoor exhibitions and conventions, the venue pipeline includes the 60,000-seat PVF Stadium, which features a specialised PTFE retractable roof designed to open or close within 20 minutes. Additionally, the 135,000-seat Hùng Vương Stadium is projected to open by 2028 to accommodate massive international entertainment and corporate gatherings.
Beyond standalone venues, Vingroup is backing the VEC with an integrated supporting ecosystem. This includes Vinpearl’s hospitality inventory of over 16,100 hotel rooms, a dedicated international event organising arm (V-Spirit), and Green SM’s fleet of 186,000 electric vehicles to manage large-scale delegation logistics.
Supported by new national legislative reforms that slash administrative and tax barriers for the exhibition sector, Vietnam’s business events market has reached an estimated valuation of US$6 billion.
“We believe this is Vietnam’s moment. The combination of national ambition and world-class infrastructure has the potential to transform the country into a major destination for global events,” Dickinson said.
