I attended the Print and Design Expo in Ho Chi Minh City in May 2026 as part of VMARK Vietnam Design Week and the DESIGNITY 2026 program, running 19–20 May at THISKYHALL SALA Convention Center. Triscia attended the Bangkok Print Expo in April, giving us a useful parallel reference point across both markets.
On the Exhibition Floor
Ho Chi Minh City felt energetic and rapidly evolving. Designers, manufacturers and production partners are increasingly aligned with export quality expectations, and sustainability was a recurring theme — not as concept, but as practical implementation through materials, reduced waste and smarter production planning. Digital and offset print workflows are no longer separate conversations. They’re being used fluidly together, particularly for short-run campaigns and fast-moving brand work — the kind of flexibility that changes how we think about speed, iteration and versioning.
Packaging Capability
Packaging was a standout area, strong capability across folding cartons, retail packaging and premium finishes. Foiling, embossing and structural design executed at a high level, often at significantly more competitive pricing than domestic production. What stood out most was the consistency being achieved for export clients.
Networking & Industry Contacts
Beyond the summit panels, many designers, studios and brands are present throughout the exhibition, making it a genuinely productive space for agency work. The floor is useful for scheduling meetings with local agencies, collecting contacts for collaborations, and exploring B2B opportunities across print, social and digital campaign production. For Fresco Creative, it’s the kind of direct access that’s hard to replicate remotely.
Local Creative Hubs & Galleries
District 1 adds another layer entirely. The neighbourhood is dense with contemporary galleries, co-working spaces and boutique design stores that sit outside the expo circuit but feed directly into it. Places worth visiting include The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre, Saigon Creative Hub and Maison Marou, a chocolate-meets-design destination that exemplifies the kind of brand and spatial thinking the city does well. For branding, social campaigns and content creation, this neighbourhood is genuinely useful rather than just atmospheric.
The City as Inspiration
The city itself rewards attention. Nguyen Hue Walking Street, the Ben Thanh Market area and the cafes and boutique shops of District 3 all offer rich material, urban design, street signage, lighting, public art — that feeds directly into photography, storytelling and social content. Ho Chi Minh City’s visual culture is still forming, which makes it more interesting, not less.
Bangkok as a Reference Point
Bangkok showed a strong FMCG-driven production mindset with refined finishing and high-volume capability, commercially mature and well-structured. Ho Chi Minh City is more experimental and fast-moving. That contrast is the point. It shows where ideas are being refined versus where they are being tested, and both are valuable reference points for agency work.
The Bigger Picture
For Fresco Creative, this sits within a longer-term view of Southeast Asia as more than a cost-based production option. Design thinking, manufacturing capability and commercial application are converging here. Staying close to this region creates real opportunities to rethink how we approach packaging, print production and scalable brand systems , not just for efficiency, but for the ideas it feeds back into how we design and deliver work.
Fresco Creative explores design and production capability across Southeast Asia as part of an ongoing regional engagement programme.