Vietnam to hold second international tea festival

Vietnam's Second International Tea Festival 2013 will be held in northern Thai Nguyen province from Nov. 8-11 to highlight tea value in economic development and promote its exports, announced organizers on Friday. Representatives from foreign countries which import Vietnamese tea, such as China, India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Korea, will participate in the festival, besides domestic companies from 34 provinces having potential in tea growing, processing and trading. As scheduled, six major events will be organized, including the opening and closing ceremonies, a festival on tea culture, a carnival on Thai Nguyen tea, a seminar on Thai Nguyen-brand tea and promotion of tea exports, and a beauty contest for tea-growing localities. Sideline events will be a photo exhibition about Thai Nguyen tea growing land and people, a market displaying tea and other local products, and artistic performances. Vietnam's first international tea festival held in Thai Nguyen province in 2011 attracted domestic tea producers and traders, representatives of 28 embassies and more than 30 international organizations in Vietnam, and nine countries and territories importing Vietnamese tea.