Kbang Tourism Festival establishes brand identity in the hearts of tourists.

After five editions, the Kbang Tourism Festival has become a unique brand of the Eastern Truong Son region, positioning it as a charming destination rich in experiences for friends and tourists.
Product diversity

Product diversity

As part of the activities of the Kbang Tourism Festival 2024 (taking place from July 31st to August 3rd), the Agricultural Products and Food Fair of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Regions features 232 booths from many localities inside and outside the province. Of these, Kbang district participates with 168 booths from communes, towns, agencies, businesses, and households. These units bring to the fair many of the district's strong agricultural and forestry products and foods such as: various types of wild ginseng, wild mushrooms, medicinal plants, wild honey, oranges, macadamia nuts, brown rice (steel-coated rice), ST25 rice, black glutinous rice, black pigs, etc.

After participating in several trade fairs and receiving feedback from customers, Mr. Nguyen Quang Chinh (Kon Ktonh village, Kon Pne commune) invested over 10 million VND in materials and a pot for cooking ginseng extract. He introduced this product at this year's trade fair.

He said: “I listened to customer feedback and learned from books and newspapers, then boldly invested in a pot for cooking ginseng extract. After 10-12 days of continuous cooking, 100-120 kg of fresh, healthy ginseng roots will yield 1 kg of ginseng extract, selling for 4.5 million VND/kg. The ginseng extract displayed at the fair was highly appreciated by consumers. In the past few days, I sold 500 kg of dried healthy ginseng at 200,000 VND/kg; 100 kg of fresh healthy ginseng at 70,000 VND/kg and more than 1 kg of ginseng extract. I will register my ginseng extract product for OCOP certification in 2025.”

Tourists visit and shop at the Kbang Tourism Festival 2024.

As a business from outside the province participating in the Kbang Tourism Festival for the first time, Mr. Ngo Dinh Tuan – owner of Thanh Thuy Ly Son garlic and onion processing and trading facility ( Quang Ngai province) – brought products made from Ly Son garlic that have received OCOP 3-star certification at the district level.

He said: “Through the fair, I hope to widely promote the specialties of Ly Son island district to the people of Kbang in particular and Gia Lai in general. I also had the opportunity to experience and explore the unique life and culture of the local people in Kbang district, such as gong performances, brocade weaving, and basket weaving; and to enjoy sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes with grilled chicken, roasted pork, and some types of cakes unique to Kbang and the Central Highlands. Next year, I will register to participate again.”

Visiting and shopping at the fair, Ms. Dang Thi To (Hamlet 1, Kong Bo La Commune) said: “Over the years, the district has organized fairs with more stalls and a wider variety of products. Many local agricultural products have been processed, packaged, and labeled attractively by local people and production facilities. Coming to the fair, I not only get to interact and shop for fresh and delicious goods and agricultural products from the district, but also learn about many products from other localities across the country.”

At Stơr Resistance Village (Tơ Tung commune), a ceremony was held to reenact the "Early Rice Harvesting" festival.

Summarizing the agricultural landscape through the fair, Mr. Ma Van Tinh – Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Kbang district – said: Kbang has a mild climate and diverse soil types, suitable for many types of crops. Macadamia trees "took root" in Kbang in 2010 and have now expanded to over 3,100 hectares, highly appreciated by consumers nationwide for their flavor and nutritional value. The area planted with oranges and tangerines has expanded to nearly 130 hectares, and the Son Lang orange brand is well-known.

The transition to new rice varieties, coupled with the establishment of single-variety rice fields, has improved the quality of rice in the area. ST24 and ST25 Sơ Pai rice varieties have become widely known. Similarly, Kbang's wild bamboo shoots, harvested 100% from nature, are an indispensable dish during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year).

To date, the entire district has 64 hectares of fruit trees and vegetables certified to VietGAP standards; the model of organic fruit orchards has been widely replicated. Thanks to these advantages, the products are widely consumed both within and outside the province. The district has 18 products certified with OCOP 3-star.

"The orientation of developing agricultural and rural tourism in the district contributes to the transformation from an agricultural production base to an agricultural economy."

This has led to the development of several homestay services (Kong Long Khong commune), orange, tangerine, and macadamia orchards along the forest and the Vinh Son hydroelectric lake (Son Lang commune); rice fields along cool streams, simple stilt houses, and hillside farms along the forest, which are likened to a "heavenly market" of the Bahnar people.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong (on the left) – Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Kbang District, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Kbang District Tourism Festival 2024, visits the booths.

"All of this promises to bring visitors exciting experiences of simple life, close to nature, as well as the unique culture of the 21 ethnic groups living in the district," the Head of the District's Agriculture and Rural Development Department added.

A land of enchanting heritage

The culinary delights showcased at the Kbang Tourism Festival also contribute to introducing a region rich in natural resources. The history of its cuisine, the abundant ingredients from the forest, and the unique processing methods have shaped the distinct identity of Kbang's food and enriched the experience for tourists visiting this eastern Truong Son region.

Fifty food stalls from various ethnic groups have prepared a grand feast to welcome visitors to the Tourism Festival. From the cuisine, visitors will want to experience more of the cultural life of the people of the Truong Son - Central Highlands region.

The leaders of Kbang district cut the ribbon to inaugurate the 2024 Agricultural Products and Food Fair for ethnic minority and mountainous areas of Kbang district.

This year's Kbang Tourism Festival expands the scope for visitors to experience various cultural activities combined with nature exploration in Bahnar villages such as Chieng village (Kbang town) associated with Hang Doi waterfall, and Kon Bong village (Dak Rong commune) associated with the waterfall of the same name (also known locally as the Three-Tiered Waterfall). Particularly, at Stor Resistance Village (To Tung commune), a reenactment of the "First Rice Planting of the Year" festival will take place – an important agricultural ritual of the Truong Son people, who have been closely associated with rice cultivation for generations.

After experiencing the festival in front of the communal house, visitors ascend the cool, stone-paved path under the trees into the village, where peaceful stilt houses nestle against the mountainside. Along the way, visitors encounter young men, like warriors from epic tales, ready to defend their villagers with their magical crossbows. Bahnar girls rhythmically pound rice beside ancient trees.

Beneath the stilt houses, men weave baskets, and women weave cloth. A poetic life unfolds in this Bahnar village nestled in the mountains, like a refreshing breeze inviting guests to sit on the porch.

All activities recreating the daily life of the Bahnar people are community-based tourism products, refreshing the experience for visitors coming to this land in the Truong Son mountain range.

For many years, artisan Dinh Greng has participated in restoring festivals to revive the precious heritage passed down from his ancestors. This year, presiding over the ritual of planting rice at the beginning of the year, he couldn't hide his pride: "To date, Stor village has restored most of its traditional festivals. The villagers are always ready to recreate the festivals and promote their culture to serve tourists. In addition, at the reconstructed resistance village on the mountain, we also recreate activities such as weaving, rice pounding, archery, statue carving, and guide visitors through these experiences."

Bahnar girls recreate the rice pounding scene in the "New Year's Rice Harvesting Ceremony".

Experiencing cultural activities at Stơr Resistance Village, Mr. Dang Van Phuong – Lecturer at the Faculty of Foreign Languages ​​(Quy Nhon University) expressed: “The Bahnar people's New Year rice planting ceremony is like taking tourists to the fields to work alongside them. The people of the Central Highlands become especially charming when they wear traditional costumes and live through festivals. They seem to escape from everyday life to live with the beauty and mystique of their culture. Perhaps that's why the festivals here have a special appeal to tourists. I not only satisfied my curiosity about cultural identity but also was captivated by the costumes and dances of the Bahnar people. Everything was so impressive and beautiful.”

Photographer Huy Tinh rarely misses cultural and tourism events in the Kbang region because, according to him, it is a "gold mine" for photography. Every year, he acts as a bridge, bringing photographers from other provinces to participate in the Kbang Tourism Festival.

He shared: "The event has been very successful in promoting tourism, especially cultural tourism. The target audience for this type of tourism prefers to seek out the roots of culture with its most authentic aspects, and they have found them here. That's also what attracts photographers."

We captured images that reflect the authentic essence of the culture and life. These photos can be sold or published in domestic and international travel magazines, thereby making the Eastern Truong Son region more widely known on national and international tourism maps.”

The town of Kbang is bustling with tourism festivities.

The Kbang Tourism Festival was first held in 2018. To date, this event has become a brand of the region with its own unique economic and cultural characteristics. The value of goods and the number of tourists have continuously increased with each edition.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Nhung – Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism – assessed: “The Kbang Tourism Festival has become an annual event and has a clear impact on the development of local tourism, especially community tourism associated with building new rural areas.

Compared to other localities, Kbang maintains this event in a very systematic way, effectively mobilizing social participation, thereby stimulating tourism. Kbang also pays close attention to preserving traditional culture in conjunction with tourism development and has achieved remarkable results.”

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/gia-lai-ngay-hoi-du-lich-kbang-dinh-vi-thuong-hieu-trong-long-du-khach-20240802142523825.htm