A Stepping Stone for the Fruit Industry’s Sustainable Development Strategy

(DTO) After four days of vibrant and diverse activities, the inaugural  Dong Thap Fruit Festival 2026 concluded with remarkable success. The event's outcomes mark an important first step in the strategy to develop a modern, eco-friendly, and sustainable fruit industry.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

The four-day event ran from June 5 to 8, 2026, at Hung Vuong Square (Dao Thanh Ward) under the theme “Dong Thap – The Land of Sweet Fruits.” The event featured nine main activities, 12 supporting events, and an array of promotional and media campaigns.

One of the Festival’s highlights was the Fruit Industry Value Chain Exhibition Space, which introduced 35 specialty fruit varieties from Dong Thap to domestic and international guests. Among them, 19 key fruit varieties with high economic value were honored.

Beyond fresh produce, the exhibition also showcased an entire ecosystem of high-quality, deeply processed products. Throughout the event, the display area attracted massive crowds for sightseeing and photography.

Ms. Pham Thi Thu Thuy (from My Tho Ward, Dong Thap Province) shared: “The Festival is wonderful, featuring a full range of the province’s specialty fruits. It is a very meaningful event for the public to visit.”

Along with the value chain exhibition, the Fruit Trade and Exhibition Fair—showcasing fruits, fruit-based products, OCOP items, and signature products of the Mekong Delta region—was another major attraction.

Featuring 100 booths—including 60 local exhibitors, 20 from nine provinces and cities nationwide, and 20 dedicated to e-commerce solutions—the fair served as a bridge propelling local OCOP products into global markets. The bustling trading atmosphere injected vibrant energy into the Festival.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Phuc, Director of Thien Phuc Cooperative (My Tinh An Commune, Dong Thap Province), said that at this year's event, the cooperative introduced three-star OCOP products including dried dragon fruit, dried bananas, dried pomelo peel, soursop tea, yellow-skinned dragon fruit, and coconuts. 

“These are our flagship local products. During the fair, consumers highly appreciated and purchased many of our products,” he added.

In addition to these highlights, a groundbreaking milestone of the Festival was its advancement in digital transformation. For the first time, livestream sales sessions were organized directly from local orchards. The synergy between content creators and local growers on TikTok Shop and Shopee generated a massive media boom.

Within the first three days alone, five livestream sessions promoting agricultural products from Dong Thap and other southern provinces on TikTok Shop and Shopee for 32 new sellers reached over 6.5 million followers and generated 3,380 orders. This has contributed to bringing Dong Thap’s agricultural products further afield.

ATTRACTING AROUND 500,000 VISITORS

According to Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Thien, Vice Chairman of the Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee and Head of the Festival Organizing Committee, after four days of vibrant, diverse, and meaningful activities, the event concluded on a high note, leaving lasting positive impressions.

Throughout the Festival, Dong Thap truly became a premier gathering place for agriculture enthusiasts, fruit growers, and those drawn to the unique cultural heritage of Southern Vietnam. 

The festival grounds burst with the vibrant colors of a bountiful harvest, reflecting the community's creativity and drive for growth.

It also served as a vital platform for networking and collaboration among key stakeholders in the fruit value chain, solidifying the "five-partner" alliance among farmers, scientists, businesses, financial institutions, and logistics providers. The event also offered a prime opportunity to showcase the potential, strengths, people, and land of Dong Thap to domestic and international visitors.

According to Vice Chairman Nguyen Phuoc Thien, this year’s Festival featured highly practical, industry-focused activities designed to chart the course for the fruit sector's future development. 

Specialized seminars on structured raw material zones, agricultural brand building, and key value chain optimization provided valuable scientific insights, practical experience, and critical solutions for the province’s agricultural roadmap. 

Additionally, tourism promotions, orchard tours, rural cultural experiences, and curated artistic performances honed the Festival's unique appeal.

After its four-day run, the Festival attracted approximately 500,000 visitors for sightseeing, experiential activities, and shopping, successfully hitting its target. 

Through trade matchmaking, commercial promotion, and marketing initiatives, numerous partnerships were established, expanding market access for local agricultural products. Total revenue generated at the fair was estimated at around VND 4.5 billion.

The Festival was seamlessly executed with a strong emphasis on safety, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency. Measures for security, traffic control, fire safety, environmental sanitation, and food safety were strictly enforced. All activities proceeded smoothly, creating a festive atmosphere and leaving a stellar impression on both locals and tourists. 

The Festival was not only a promotional showcase but also a crucial stepping stone in Dong Thap’s strategy to transition the sector toward a modern, eco-friendly, and sustainable model.

Vice Chairman Nguyen Phuoc Thien also emphasized that following the Festival, Dong Thap is committed to scaling up production and developing raw material production areas tightly aligned with market demand. 

At the same time, the province will accelerate the integration of science and technology, digital transformation, and innovation. Efforts will focus on upgrading breeding and product quality, enhancing preservation and deep-processing capacities, and tightening linkages among farmers, cooperatives, businesses, financial institutions, and logistics providers to drive added value and boost the fruit industry's competitiveness.

Building on the success of this inaugural event, Dong Thap will continue refining its organizational model to progressively elevate quality, efficiency, and professionalism. 

The province aims to institutionalize the Festival into a signature regional event for the Mekong Delta—serving as a leading forum to connect production, processing, and consumption, while driving trade promotion, tourism, and honoring the value of Vietnam’s fruit industry.

By T. DAT - V. THAO
Translated by X. QUANG