The festival aims at creating a new tourism product for the Dong Thap Muoi wetland area. This is also the occasion for Dong Thap to introduce its images and typical lotus products with visitors and call for investment in local socio-economic development.
At the opening ceremony, leaders of Dong Thap said that the event offered a good opportunity for organisations and individuals to invest in raising the economic value of lotus – the classic product in Dong Thap and promoting sustainable development from this chain of goods.
Chairman of Dong Thap provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duong stressed that the lotus is a symbol close to Vietnamese people and the pride of Dong Thap. For that reason, Lotus Festival was organised to promote the value of the lotus and facilitate the image of Dong Thap tourism, while contributing to the building of Dong Thap – Pink Lotus brand.
Ngo Quang Tuyen, Deputy Director of Dong Thap Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism noted that under the framework of the festival, there will be a range of special cultural activities associated with the lotus.
During the three-day festival, there are performances on lotus tea tasting, lectures on the lotus in Vietnamese culture, a lotus fashion show and calligraphy on lotus leaves, as well as book introduction about the Dong Thap land and people.
Visitors to the event can experience and make their own unique handmade products from the lotus such as distilling lotus essence and lotus soap, making lotus thread, making lotus flowers from paper and other agricultural by-products.
A seminar on the Dong Thap lotus will be held with the participation of scientists, enterprises, and lotus growing farmers who will look into the advantages, potential and development direction for the local product.
