More than 20,000 people on Thursday evening flocked to the opening ceremony of the Krong Pak Durian Festival in Krong Pak District, located in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.

The event, the first of its kind in the province, aims to promote local durians to domestic and international markets.

A group of visitors pose for a photo while visiting the Krong Pak Durian Festival in Krong Pak District, located in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, September 1, 2022. Photo: The The / Tuoi Tre

The festival offers visits to durian gardens, as well as a 200ha farm which produces bananas for export in Vu Bon Commune, the historical CADA coffee plantation, and many other local sites.

The event also includes a conference aimed at attracting investment and sustainable agricultural development in Krong Pak, as well as a fair exhibiting OCOP (One Commune, One Product) products, such as durians and around 1,000 other types of local produce.

Also within the framework of the durian festival, a hot-air balloon show was held at Tan An Lake, making it the first such a show to have ever taken place in Dak Lak. 

People flock to see the hot-air balloons within the framework of the Krong Pak Durian Festival in Krong Pak District, located in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, September 1, 2022. Photo: The The /Tuoi Tre

According to the People Committee of Krong Pak District, the locality grows nearly 3,800ha of durians, 2,600ha of which is able to be harvested at a productivity rate of nearly 50,000 tonnes per crop, bringing in nearly VND2.5 trillion (US$106.5 million) per year.

In March, the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam under the Ministry of Science and Technology granted a certificate of trademark registration to Krong Pak durian.

With Vietnamese durians now officially allowed to be exported to China, the locality pins hopes on more opportunities to bring its product to foreign markets.

A visitor enjoys durian at a garden in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak during the Krong Pak Durian Festival. Photo: The The /Tuoi Tre

The large number of visitors gravitating to the district for the festival caused traffic jams along a massive stretch of National Highway No. 26 on Thursday afternoon.

Among them, Hoang Duc and his family of five traveled from Ho Chi Minh City to Dak Lak for their National Day break from September 1 to 4, and attended the durian fest in Krong Pak.

“Due to the large number of visitors, thousands of trucks and cars were stuck on National Highway No. 26 from Buon Ma Thuot City to Krong Pak District,” Duc said.

“It took me three hours to travel less than 30km to reach the festival.”

Vehicles are stuck in a traffic jam on National Highway No. 26 in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak on September 1, 2022. Photo: Trung Tan /Tuoi Tre News

Another visitor from Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Thi Hang, also took her family to the festival.

“I visited a fruitful durian garden and enjoyed eating the fruit,” she shared.

“Above all, our family had a chance to travel together. Dak Lak has nice weather and beautiful landscapes.”

The festival is scheduled to close on Saturday.

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Tr.Tan - The The - Dong Nguyen / Tuoi Tre News