The 50th anniversary of the Ben Tre Uprising (January 17) will coincide with the second annual Coconut Festival from January 15-19 in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, the Ben Tre People’s Committee announced January 5.
The events also aim to mark the Communist Party of Vietnam’s 80th anniversary and pay tribute to the country’s history and culture.
An opening ceremony will kick off at the Dong Khoi statue, replete with a night festival, floral displays, coconut fashion show and culinary contest, and children’s activities.
In addition, the Ham Luong Bridge will officially open on January 17.
A trade fair will showcase over 300 booths featuring coconut-based products, Ben Tre specialties, tree seedlings, trade-village products, industrial and handicraft goods, and tourism promotions. Both local and foreign enterprises will take part in the fair.
A new addition to this year’s coconut festival is the “Enterprise for Future Generation” program in which 100 scholarships, each worth VND500,000, will be given to poor students.
On the morning of January 17, a gathering will be organized of former members of the “Doi quan toc dai” (Ben Tre’s all-women army during the 1960s’ resistance war against the US).