Green products enjoy a growing presence at Vietbuild Hanoi 2014

The event attracted more than 300 businesses operating in real estate, interior decoration, manufacture of electrical equipment, doors and accessories, sanitary ware, building materials, and more.

Japanese-owned Maeda Kosen Vietnam Limited, based in Dai Dong Hoan Son industrial zone in the northern province of Bac Ninh’s Tien Du district, presented their fresh line of wood plastic products for the first time made in Vietnam under Japan’s Kankyo Wood II brand.

Kankyo Wood II products, made from a wood powder and plastic composite, are ideal for flooring, swimming pools, balcony and doorsteps.

The water-resistant product is also immune to mould or pests, has high colour retention, and can survive harsh climatic conditions.

According to a source from Lac Viet Group, the exclusive distribution agent for Maeda Kosen Group in Vietnam, the demand for eco-friendly materials like Kankyo Wood II in Vietnam is sharply rising, underlining the foray of the product into the Vietnamese market in 2011.

The Japanese group’s first plant producing Kankyo Wood II items was built in Bac Ninh in 2012.

Also attending Vietbuild Hanoi 2014, Lucky House Vietnam Paint JSC, with a factory based in Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan district, introduced its four new kinds of art paints which were launched after two years of research and development.

The new paints are easy to clean, mould-resistant and highly durable.

“The company’s new products will be widely available in the local building material market following the exhibition and we expect to drive up our sales revenue in December and in the following year,” said Chu Quang Phuc, head of the company Research Department.

Founded in 1996, Lucky House Vietnam Paint JSC is producing decorative and art paints, additives, and technical paints.

The company’s research division recently focused on supplying the market with new product lines with superior features to improve cost savings and aesthetic value.

The company posted VND150 billion ($7 million) in revenue last year and hopes to reach VND185 billion ($8.8 million) in revenue this year.

Another firm, Cat Tuong Export-Import and Investment Company Limited, based in Tan Quang industrial zone in the northern province of Hung Yen’s Van Lam district, displayed its noise proof and insulating products under the Cat Tuong brand at Vietbuild.

The products are heat-resistant, non-flammable, super-light and highly durable.

With prices ranging from VND23,000-VND46,000 ($1-$2) per square metre, lower than traditional insulating products (glass cotton, foam sheeting, etc.), Cat Tuong insulating sheets are selling well and have a solid position in the local building materials market.

“The entire production line and technology was imported and transferred by foreign partners, so our products meet international standards. We also partially export our products,” said Nguyen Quang Huy, the company’s deputy director.

The companies partaking in Vietbuild Hanoi 2014 had a common view that although consumption had yet to sustainably revive, further efforts must be geared towards research and development in order to roll out new products.