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Delegates attend the opening ceremony of the festival. |
In his opening remarks, Vuong Quoc Tuan, Chairman of the Thai Nguyen Provincial People’s Committee, emphasized that the festival is not only a large-scale cultural and tourism event, but also an important opportunity for the province to promote its image and elevate the value of Thai Nguyen tea on both the domestic and international markets.
Thai Nguyen province is currently accelerating the preparation of a dossier on “Vietnamese Tea Culture” for submission to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), seeking recognition as a Good Safeguarding Practice of Intangible Cultural Heritage, thereby highlighting the quintessence of Vietnamese tea culture and promoting the Thai Nguyen tea brand.
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Vuong Quoc Tuan, Chairman of the Thai Nguyen Provincial People’s Committee, delivers the opening speech. |
The opening ceremony featured an art performance program themed “Essence of Renowned Tea,” consisting of three chapters: Chapter 1: Echoes from the Roots; Chapter 2: Essence of Heaven and Earth – Quintessence of Vietnamese Tea; Chapter 3: Aspiration to Reach Further.
The Essence of Renowned Tea - Thai Nguyen Festival takes place from December 19 to 21. The festival space is designed with five exhibition and experience zones, representing the “Five renowned tea regions” of Thai Nguyen, offering visitors a multi-dimensional journey into tea culture.
Throughout the festival, a wide range of activities are held, including: tea-tasting sessions with celebrities in La Bang commune; tea culture exhibitions and experiential activities; mini art shows; art photo competitions and exhibitions; tea-brewing performances by tea troupes and artisans; auctions of award-winning tea products; competitions for beautifully designed tea booths at Vo Nguyen Giap Square.
In addition, tea-picking competitions, traditional tea processing contests (pan-firing and rolling) are organized in Tan Cuong and La Bang communes.
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Art performance at the opening ceremony of the festival |
This year’s festival is the largest-scale edition ever held, bringing together hundreds of participating units showcasing and promoting their products, with a core presence of over 70 cooperatives from five key tea-growing regions of Thai Nguyen province.
A distinctive highlight of this year’s festival is the close coordination and accompaniment of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam. This presence is regarded as an important opportunity for Thai Nguyen tea to gradually approach international cultural standards and forums, and affirm the position of Vietnamese tea on the global map.
Translated by Trung Thanh