Japan Metal Daily: The international steel conference Asia Steel Markets 2025, organized by UK-based steel media group Kallanish and supported by The Steel Newspaper, was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on 9 and 10 April.
The event opened with keynote addresses from industry leaders, including Mr. Niem Xuan Da, President of the Vietnam Steel Association (VSA); Mr. Shaw Li, Principal Analyst at Baoshan Steel & Raw Materials Purchasing Center; and Mr. Martin Smith, Director at Primetals Technologies. In his address, Mr. Da forecasted that Vietnam’s domestic steel demand is expected to grow by 4–5% y-o-y in 2025, reaching between 24.5 and 25 million tonnes (mnt).
Day two featured four thematic sessions, including a presentation on production cost dynamics by Mr. Eric Koh, Head of Sales for Asia at the London Metal Exchange (LME). He highlighted growing interest in steel futures trading, noting that LME volumes in 2024 reached 12.2 mnt for steel scrap (up 51% y-o-y) and 1.2 mnt for hot-rolled coil (a threefold increase). Koh attributed the rising volumes to heightened market volatility driven by evolving U.S. tariff policies and emphasized the increasing role of futures in risk hedging.
The conference brought together around 200 participants from approximately 30 countries, representing a wide cross-section of the global steel industry. Attendees included senior executives such as Mr. Sanjay Kumar Singh, Director – Strategy & External Affairs at Jindal Steel & Power (JSPL), Mr. Sabyasachi Mishra from JSW International Trade Corp (Singapore), and Mr. Jerome Waterkane, CEO of Steel Force (Europe).
As part of the event, delegates also visited major Vietnamese steel producers, including electric arc furnace and rebar manufacturer POMINA, and Fumi Flat Steel, a cold-rolled steel sheet producer.
Note: This article has been written in accordance with a content exchange agreement between Japan Metal Daily and BigMint.
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