Vietnam: rising market takes center stage in Brazilian Leather Trade Mission and exhibition

Brazil's leather and hide export figures for the first half of 2026 reveal an increasingly competitive ranking among the country's leading international buyers. The gap between Italy, the third-largest destination, and Vietnam, in fourth place, is just over US$1 million, or 0.2 percentage points. Vietnam's close performance compared to Italy—a country with a long-established tradition as a major leather importer—highlights the strategic importance of the recent Trade Mission to Vietnam and participation in Shoes and Leather Vietnam. Both initiatives were carried out by the Brazilian Leather project, a partnership between the Centre for the Brazilian Tanning Industry (CICB) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil).
 

The trade mission and exhibition were organized consecutively to maximize time and resources, explains Rogério Cunha, CICB's Trade Intelligence Manager. "We held business matchmaking sessions with leather importers and conducted on-site visits to purchasing companies in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The entire program was carefully planned to match the profiles of the participating Brazilian tanneries with the types of leather demanded by manufacturers in both cities," says Cunha.

At Shoes and Leather Vietnam, held in Ho Chi Minh City, the Brazilian tanneries' booths generated 92 business contacts, with projected business totaling US$4.4 million during the event and over the following 12 months. The participating companies were Cortume Krumenauer, Courovale, Euro-América, JBS Couros, and Minuano.

About Brazilian Leather
Brazilian Leather is the internationalization project for the Brazilian leather industry, carried out by the Centre for the Brazilian Industry (CICB) in partnership with ApexBrasil (the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency). The project promotes Brazilian leather in international markets through a range of strategic initiatives, including support for the participation of Brazilian tanneries in the world's leading trade fairs and business missions designed to strengthen relationships between Brazilian suppliers and international buyers.
For more information, visit www.brazilianleather.com.br.

About ApexBrasil
The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) works to promote Brazilian products and services abroad while attracting foreign investment to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy. To achieve these objectives, ApexBrasil carries out a wide range of trade promotion initiatives, including trade missions, business matchmaking events, support for Brazilian companies exhibiting at major international trade fairs, and visits by foreign buyers and opinion leaders to Brazil's production centers. The Agency also works in coordination with public and private partners to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to strategic sectors that strengthen the competitiveness of Brazilian companies and the country's economy.

About CICB
The Centre for the Brazilian Industry (CICB) is the national association representing Brazil's leather-producing companies. Since its foundation in 1957, CICB has worked to promote the growth, development, competitiveness, and unity of the Brazilian leather industry. Sustainability is the organization's guiding principle, supporting initiatives in technology, workforce development, public policy dialogue, trade promotion, industry advocacy, reputation building, technical qualification, design, market intelligence, and institutional representation. CICB also fosters collaboration across the leather supply chain through nationwide working groups dedicated to Traceability and Communication.