Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival is an important event in Dak Lak Province (in Central Highlands). The festival is organized every two years in Buon Ma Thuot City. The coffee festival is also held in other provinces to promulgate Buon Ma Thuot coffee.
Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival is a festival held in Buon Ma Thuot City, in Dak Lak. This is a major festival in the Central Highlands. The festival is organized to promote the image of Buon Ma Thuot (Dak Lak) which is a mythical land and has a rich national identity. In addition, the festival is held to honor the provincial specialty, coffee plant. Coffee plant occupies a crucial and unique position in plant structure of the province. Here, the plant accounts for 60% of coffee production in Vietnam. It brings prosperity to the land. This festival was organized since 2005 in program on promoting the image of Buon Ma Thuot, the coffee capital. Apart from activities of processes, formulas, production and processing of coffee, many exciting cultural activities and sports are open in this place. There are many special activities such as fairs, exhibition of coffee and other Vietnamese brand products, barista competitions, and coffee travel itinerary, etc.
The main contents of the Vietnamese festival include unique and outstanding activities. First, the organization opens exhibitions of coffee and other Vietnamese brands. These exhibitions are often open at Biet Dien Museum, in Buon Ma Thuot City. These exhibitions are regarded as opening space in combination with coffee culture and natural space, which creates great attraction in the festival. In addition, street parade takes place during the festival. The street festival is characterized by parades of flower floats, dragon-dancing shows, elephants walking with coffee symbol, Gong performance, and other cultural performances.
These activities attract a large number of people and artists. In this festival, seminar on coffee brand development often takes place with the participation of representatives from other countries, and ambassadors of reputable coffee producers, and international associations in Asia. Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival is one of festivals in Vietnam having competitions for local farmers in order to improve their skills and spirit of coffee production, such as barista competition and competition among farmers. Interestingly, coffee travel itinerary is one of the most outstanding features in the festival. There are many tours for visitors to travel and explore areas of planting coffee, factories, and processing zones. Visitors have an opportunity to witness the progress of producing and processing coffee, along with contemplating the pure beauty of the highland scenery.
Through festivals held over years, Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival attracts more visitors and gathers many domestic and foreign enterprises to join. The first festival attracted over 300,000 visitors, gathered 106 domestic and foreign enterprises with 400 booths. The second one had a larger scale, attracted over 350,000 visitors, and gathered 145 enterprises with over 450 booths. In 2011, the third Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival continued to promote Vietnam coffee industry to a new height, creating a common playing-ground for the world coffee industry. The festival is one of Vietnam festivals receiving the interest and support from ministries of Industry and Trade, Foreign Affairs, Culture – Sports – Tourism, and Agriculture – Rural Development. The festival becomes more important event of Vietnam coffee industry on an international level, gradually gaining foothold and confirming the position of Vietnam coffee brand in the world market.
