Ninh Thuan Grape and Wine Festival 2019 to take place in late April

At a press conference to introduce the event on April 17, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, Chau Thanh Hai, said the festival is a chance for the province to promote the image of its land and people as well as typical products made from grapes – a specialty of the locality.

The festival aims to honour grape growers who have greatly contributed to building the trademark of Ninh Thuan grapes, while giving them a chance to meet and exchange experience with scientists, experts and businesses in the field, he said.

Hai said that, as part of the event, a number of festive activities will be held, including field-trips to grape and apple growing and producing farms, an industry-trade fair, a contest for ethnic minority groups in the province, a performance of Raglai’s “Bo ma” (farewell to the dead) ceremony, a street festival and a beach sport festival.

In 2012, Ninh Thuan’s grape varieties were granted geographical indication (GI) certification by the National Office of Intellectual Property.

It has nearly 1,300ha of the fruit, 80 percent of it red cardinal and the rest other varieties, and an annual output of 30,000 tonnes.