Southern fruits to open festival in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, will host the Southern Fruit Festival in its Suoi Tien Tourist Area in district No.9 from June 1-20 with a view of honouring values of exotic fruits and growers in Viet Nam and the southern region in particular.

The event was announced by the municipal Department of Agricultural and Rural Development at a press briefing on May 21.

One of the highlights of the annual festival will be a floating market with 50 booths selling more than 150 kinds of regionally distinguished fruits, like Nam Roi grapefruit, Queen dragon fruit, Luc Ngan lychee, and Cai Mon Ben Tre durian.

A fruit parade, a show of rare fruits, and a fruit cooking contest will form part of the festival.

Music performances staged by both domestic and foreign art troupes from India, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos and folk games will also be held.

Started in 2004, the annual festival has become a popular cultural tourism event of Ho Chi Minh City. The southern region boasts 415,800 ha of land for fruit cultivation, producing around 4.3 million tonnes per year, accounting for 53.2 percent and 57 percent of the country’s area and output, respectively.