• Boosting media coverage for the 2nd Crab Festival in 2025.
  • Elevating Ca Mau crab to a new level – Positioning it as a national brand.

- What are the highlights and special features of the 2nd Ca Mau Crab Festival in 2025, and how has the preparation been carried out?

*Mr. Nguyen Chi Cong: Preparations for the 2nd Ca Mau Crab Festival in 2025 are being carried out urgently and systematically, closely following the plan approved by the Provincial People's Committee. As the organizing agency, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has proactively coordinated with relevant departments, sectors, and localities to develop detailed scenarios for each activity. At the same time, it is stepping up communication efforts, mobilizing social resources, improving urban infrastructure, and ensuring the technical infrastructure is in place to serve the event.

The first Ca Mau Crab Festival in 2022 created a widespread impact, becoming a prominent cultural, economic , and tourism landmark of the province.

This year's festival features many new highlights, most notably a series of unique and distinctly local competitions, such as: Communication and promotion activities for the Ca Mau Crab Festival; exhibition and trade fair of the crab industry; startup, innovative and OCOP products; Ca Mau crab cuisine and trade activities; forums, conferences, seminars, and a series of competitions (Fun logo design competition; Ca Mau OCOP product identity design competition; setting a record for Ca Mau crab; Crab Chef competition); sports and folk games; street festival; Southern Vietnamese traditional music and singing festival; Grand music festival; Ca Mau tourism experience program…

The opening ceremony program included an art performance with the theme: "Ca Mau Crab: Forest Flavor - Sea Taste," which was broadcast live on provincial newspapers, radio, and television, as well as several stations that cooperate with Ca Mau.

The 2nd Ca Mau Crab Festival not only honors the value of the crab industry but also serves as an opportunity to communicate, promote, and enhance the brand of Ca Mau crab, introduce culinary culture, and highlight the importance of the crab industry and OCOP products of Ca Mau province in the province's socio-economic development. It aims to connect and cooperate with domestic and foreign businesses and investors to build a complete value chain for the province's marine crab industry; improve the competitiveness of the Ca Mau crab brand in domestic and international markets; provide information on research and application of new science and technology, and innovation in the production, farming, and processing of crabs to contribute to increasing productivity, output, and quality of Ca Mau crabs; and promote the potential and strengths of Ca Mau province in terms of economy, culture, tourism, environment, investment potential, and sustainable development prospects; calling on domestic and foreign organizations and individuals to invest in Ca Mau.

- How is the Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in coordination with relevant units and local people, preparing the supply of commercial crabs for the crab festival?

*Mr. Nguyen Chi Cong: Currently, the improved extensive farming model (QCCT), combining crabs with mangrove shrimp and shrimp-rice farming, is the dominant form in Ca Mau province, with an area of ​​over 360,000 hectares, the largest crab farming area in the Mekong Delta region , with an average yield of 100 kg/ha and a production of over 25,200 tons/year. To prepare a supply of commercial crabs for the upcoming Crab Festival, the Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the People's Committees of coastal localities, and crab farmers in the area to meticulously prepare a supply of commercial crabs for the main activities at the Festival.

Ca Mau crab is not only a specialty, but also a cultural, ecological, and economic symbol of the southernmost region of Vietnam.

Relevant agencies have reviewed and selected farming areas that meet international and organic standards and have the potential to supply high-quality crabs. Simultaneously, the agricultural sector has worked with purchasing, storage, and transportation facilities to ensure a continuous supply of fresh, live crabs, suitable for culinary competitions, record-setting events, exhibitions, and food courts at the festival.

Furthermore, at this year's Crab Festival, advanced, environmentally friendly crab farming models are expected to be introduced and facilitated for visitors, experts, and investors to visit and observe firsthand. This approach not only meets the immediate needs of the event but also provides an opportunity to promote the crab industry's value chain and foster sustainable development of crab farming in Ca Mau.

- What is your assessment of the reach and impact of the first Crab Festival? What are your personal expectations, as well as those of the departmental leaders, regarding this year's second Crab Festival?

*Mr. Nguyen Chi Cong: The first Ca Mau Crab Festival in 2022 created a widespread impact, becoming a prominent cultural, economic, and tourism landmark of the province. The event attracted tens of thousands of visitors from within and outside the province, received strong media coverage on press platforms and social networks, and contributed to positioning the "Ca Mau Crab" brand on the culinary map of Vietnam and the region. Unique competitions such as "Master Crab Chef," "Crab Sumo," crab racing, crab tying competitions, etc., along with the establishment of many national records, attracted a large number of tourists and locals throughout the event.

Ca Mau crab dishes have been recognized by the Vietnam Record Organization as one of the Top 100 Vietnamese specialty dishes and Top 100 Vietnamese specialty gifts.

In particular, the festival vividly portrayed the image of Ca Mau as a dynamic, hospitable region with a strong Southern identity in the hearts of tourists and investors. It also provided an opportunity to promote Ca Mau – a land rich in cultural, tourism, and OCOP product potential – to the business community, investors, and domestic consumers. Many economic and tourism models related to crab and local products were established, opening up new development directions for the crab industry value chain.

Building on the success of the first Crab Festival in 2022, this year's Crab Festival aims to further solidify Ca Mau's position as the "crab capital" of the country, offering unique culinary experiences rooted in the province's distinctive riverine culture. More than just a festival for fun and promotion, it's also an opportunity to connect, foster trade and investment, and ignite pride among the local people in Ca Mau crab, a symbol of the fisheries industry in the southernmost region of Vietnam.

We believe that, with thorough preparation, creativity, and the support of the entire political system, businesses, and people, the 2nd Ca Mau Crab Festival will be a resounding success, spreading even more widely both domestically and internationally.

Thank you, sir.

Loan Phuong

Source: https://baocamau.vn/lan-toa-dau-an-van-hoa-kinh-te-du-lich-a121092.html