Vietnam's Tay Ninh brings best of local produce to Ba Den Mountain festival

The fest is being held in front of the cable car station within the Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area, allowing visitors to explore and shop for local specialties.

Various products under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program are also on sale during the fest.

Alongside the exhibition and sales area, the event features forums and discussions on agriculture, business networking sessions and dedicated spaces for livestream sales, giving producers and businesses additional channels to introduce and market Tay Ninh specialties to consumers.

Tay Ninh, some 90km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, has gradually shifted from an approach centered on ‘agricultural production’ toward developing an ‘agricultural economy’ over the past few years, Nguyen Minh Lam, the province's deputy chairman, said at the opening ceremony.

The transition has focused on leveraging the strengths of individual regions, promoting the application of science and technology, expanding processing capacity and reaching wider markets.

The OCOP program has provided additional momentum for its wards and communes to develop their potential and competitive advantages while encouraging creativity among farmers, cooperatives and businesses, he said.

The province now has 417 OCOP products rated from three to five stars, alongside major raw-material areas and agricultural products including rice, sugarcane, cassava, rubber, custard apples, dragon fruit, seedless limes and bananas.

Other distinctive processed products are rice paper, chili salt and cassava starch.

Tay Ninh’s agricultural and aquatic products are currently exported to more than 40 countries and territories, generating more than US$1.5 billion in export turnover for the province each year.

Provincial authorities expect the festival to create new opportunities for local products to reach broader markets while strengthening connections among producers, businesses and consumers.