Tourists swarm to Cà Mau’s lively shrimp festival

The opening ceremony of Cà Mau Province’s first ever shrimp festival. – VNS Photo Việt Dũng

CÀ MAU – Cà Mau Province’s first ever shrimp festival is attracting a large number of local visitors and tourists around Việt Nam to celebrate the province’s most well-known agricultural product.

The regional-level festival was officially launched yesterday (December 10) and is being carried out in Cà Mau City and other regions in the province. It aims to honour the traditional craft of shrimp farming, which is a big part of Cà Mau’s culture, and promote the value of the province’s seafood products and specialties.

Crowds of visitors are flocking to Cà Mau City’s Phan Ngọc Hiển Square, where around 400 stalls from businesses and restaurants are showing off shrimp products, fresh seafood, regional specialties and tasty seafood dishes.

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The shrimp festival is attracting many tourists and visitors from around Việt Nam. – VNS Photo Việt Dũng

A wide variety of seafood dishes is available for food enthusiasts. – VNS Photo Việt Dũng

​Shrimp farming technologies and equipment, processing machinery and other related products are also being exhibited.

Nguyễn Thanh Tòng, a Cà Mau local, spent yesterday evening with his family dining out, browsing shrimp products, and even taking photos with lively shrimp mascots.

“I feel really honoured that my province is organising such as large event, which shows just how much it has developed. There’s a wide variety of dishes and regional products here,” he told Việt Nam News.

Part of the festival is the Mekong Delta OCOP Products Network Connection Forum, which introduces key One Commune One Product (OCOP) goods from Cà Mau and other regions around the Mekong Delta and Việt Nam.

Seminars and forums are held throughout the festival to discuss a wide range of topics, including shrimp products and OCOP good trade facilitation, tourism promotion, and sustainable shrimp farming development.

A stall promoting Cà Mau’s OCOP-certified dried shrimp products. – VNS Photo Việt Dũng

During the festival’s opening ceremony yesterday evening, Huỳnh Quốc Việt, chairman of Cà Mau People’s Committee, said that “the province’s geographical location and unique natural conditions have bestowed Cà Mau an abundance of specialties only found in the province that are well-liked by domestic and foreign customers.”

Deputy Prime Minister Lê Minh Khái gives his opening remarks. – VNA/VNS Photo

Deputy Prime Minister Lê Minh Khái said that Cà Mau’s shrimp industry has solidify its position in the international market, with products exported to over 60 countries and territories.

“The 2023 Cà Mau Shrimp Festival and Mekong Delta OCOP Products Network Connection Forum will greatly promote the image and brand of Cà Mau shrimp and local OCOP products to visitors, both domestic and foreign. It will contribute to the development of local industries, providing opportunities for businesses to promote their goods and network.”

The festival is a great place to hang out for families and groups of friends. – VNS Photo Việt Dũng

​The festival is held until December 13.

Cà Mau identifies seafood as a key industry. Its annual seafood output reaches over 600,000 tonnes, with shrimp output reaching over 250,000 tonnes (22 per cent of the country’s output).

According to the province, its annual shrimp export turnover is over US$1.2 billion, playing a big role in getting Việt Nam’s seafood export to surpass $10 billion and making it the world’s second largest shrimp supplier. VNS