HCM City will organise the first International Ginseng and Fragrance and Medicinal Herbs Festival in HCM City from May 24 to 26.

It will be attended by domestic and foreign businesses and localities with strengths in ginseng, flavourings and medicinal herbs, including from Canada, the US, South Korea, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia.

It will have hundreds of booths, a food court on Lê Lợi Street, a seminar on ginseng and aromas and medicinal herbs (May 24) held at the Caravelle Hotel, and cultural and artistic exchange programmes.

According to the permanent deputy director of the city Department of Foreign Affairs, Lê Trường Duy, Việt Nam has a lot of potential for growing ginseng, and many businesses in the city, a vibrant market, are in the industry.

The Vietnamese Government has specific goals including expanding the area under ginseng, increasing the production of Vietnamese Ginseng to meet international standards with clear origin and investing and building facilities for semi-processing and deep processing of the root.

So the festival will focus on creating an environment for Vietnamese businesses, localities and international businesses with strengths in ginseng, flavourings and medicinal herbs to exchange and promote quality products that contribute to promoting trade, investment, tourism and brand promotion at home and abroad.

“In terms of a national brand, Việt Nam is still weak in positioning its ginseng in the international market. This festival aims to provide opportunities for domestic businesses for international cooperation and learning about ginseng farming, processing and exporting." — VNS