LOTS OF LOTUS: The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Đồng Tháp will host its second Lotus Festival from May 16-19. VNA/VNS Photo by Nguyễn Văn Trí

The festival, themed “The Brightness of Lotus”, will include a series of cultural and culinary activities to introduce the beauty and culture of Đồng Tháp, which is well-known as the land of pink lotuses, and enhance trade promotion to seek new markets for products made from lotus.

The event will open with a music and dance gala on May 16, attracting more than 100 performers.

The park will host a fair with 250 stalls introducing OCOP (one commune, one product) products made of lotus by local manufacturers. Two seminars will also be held on the value of lotus flowers and the promotion of products made from them.

The organiser will also launch a street carnival, featuring a parade of ancient cars and an appearance of 5,500 women in áo dài (Vietnamese traditional dresses) decorated with images of lotus flowers.

LOTUS FOOD: Delicacies made from various parts of the lotus plant will be introduced at the festival. VNA/VNS Photo by Nguyễn Văn Trí

Around 50 chefs from Đồng Tháp and other provinces will compete in a contest highlighting delicacies made from various parts of the lotus plant, such as lotus root, lotus flower stem, lotus leaf, lotus seeds and lotus seed heart.

The festival will also set up a space showcasing 66,000 lotus flower pots from 57 different varieties, and a map of Việt Nam made from 5,000 lotus flower pots.

An exhibition displaying paintings, photos and ceramic artefacts focusing on lotus will be held as well.

In addition, the organiser will offer a trekking tour to discover Tràm Chim National Park located in Tam Nông District.

The park is the fourth Ramsar site in Việt Nam and the 2,000th worldwide. It has a special-use forest with distinctive wetland ecosystems spanning more than 7,300 hectares.

During the flood season, visitors can watch beautiful pink lotus fields, bright green acacias, and thousands of white storks at the park.

The Đồng Tháp Lotus Festival was first held in May 2022, attracting more than 100,000 visitors and earning a revenue of VNĐ60 billion (US$2.35 million).

The festival, themed “Lotus of a New Day”, introduced hundreds of OCOP products and delicacies made from the lotus plant. – VNS