Vietnam celebrates a tribute to coffee
The coffee culture is spreading far and wide all over the globe. One of the latest places to celebrate the wonders of the coffee bean is the central highlands in Vietnam. It is unsurprising that this country has organised the coffee-industry gathering – Vietnam is the second biggest exporter of coffee after Brasil. The area of Dak Lak is currently celebrating with a festival that has attracted thousands of people.
What is the festival ? It is the third year of the Buon Ma Thuot coffee festival. Its success is evident by the visitors that have made their way to join in with the festivities. Coffee experts and those involved in the industry such as importers and associations have gathered in the area, many have travelled a long way from coffee-specialist countries such as Brazil, Columbia in South America, Indonesia (currently famous for its civet coffee) and also the African country of Ethiopia.
The festival is a lively occasion with cultural performances complete with percussion instruments with an emphasis on drums, dance and a procession. Of course, one of the main purposes of the event is to promote the coffee culture and many different roast and coffee preparations are available to taste, plus plantations can be visited and museum exhibits observed. The commercial aim is to particularly promote Buon Ma Thuot and Vietnamese products on a global scale. A beneficial side effect of this festival is the improvement of the local community, as the event is becoming a twice-yearly national celebration.