LÂM ĐỒNG — Đà Lạt City in the central province of Lâm Đồng is a hotspot on the tourism map this week as the City of a Thousand Flowers launches two highly anticipated cultural events: the Gong Festival and the Global Coffee Heritage Festival 2025.

The Global Coffee Heritage Festival 2025 is proving popular with the international coffee community, with numerous records expected to be set.

“All roads lead to Đà Lạt,” said a local taxi driver, Lê Đức Long, who can hardly contain his excitement and pride.

Highland girls takes photos beside a fresh coffee tree exhibited at the festival. VNA/VNS Photos

Admiring the giant coffee cup, displayed in the square and branded with King Coffee, Nguyễn Đức Hạnh from Xuân Trường Ward in Lâm Đồng said that coffee cultivation was the livelihood for his family and many residents in the outskirts of Đà Lạt.

He travelled over 30km early in the morning to visit the booths, eager to experience and expand his knowledge about coffee varieties from around the world and the meticulous process of transforming raw coffee beans into exquisite brews.

King Coffee booths at the festival attract many visitors.

Among foreign tourists delighting in ready-made cups of coffee was Hena, a visitor from Vladivostok, Russia. After checking in from HCM City, he travelled to Đà Lạt to spend a full month with friends, immersing himself in gong culture and enjoying traditional Vietnamese drip coffee.

According to him, coffee is an indispensable beverage that attracts many young people, resonating with Russians of all ages.

The first Global Coffee Heritage Festival, co-organised by King Coffee and the Lâm Đồng Province, will officially launch on December 21.

Foreign tourists savour the unique flavour of Robusta coffee beans.

This event is expected to be a cultural and business highlight, reinforcing Việt Nam’s position in the global coffee 'alliance'.

Activities will include unique brewing competitions, exhibitions of antique coffee beans, live roasting demonstrations, and international coffee culture experiences, featuring numerous global experts and entrepreneurs.

Lê Hoàng Diệp Thảo, the founder and CEO of TNI King Coffee, said: “The festival will position Đà Lạt as an international coffee destination, attracting global visitors during the year-end holiday season while also asserting the new status of Vietnamese coffee on the world map.”

Before the official opening, crowds have gathered to find their own little corners, savouring the bittersweet notes of specialty coffee.

"The uniqueness of this cultural space lies in bringing the essence of coffee farms into the heart of the city,” said festival-goer Đoàn Diệu Huyền.

“Visitors won’t just see packaged products; they’ll have the chance to admire and touch the fruit-laden coffee trees.

“Bringing fresh coffee plants into the exhibition space provides the public with the most tangible view of the agricultural value chain, highlighting the resilience of farmers in the basalt red soil region."

King Coffee booth in the festival.

The entire coffee cultural space is ready for the spotlight of the first Global Coffee Heritage Festival, which serves not only as a meeting point for coffee lovers but also as a testament to the status of Vietnamese agricultural products on the international map.

From Đà Lạt, the narrative of coffee beans infused with the spirit of the highlands will continue to unfold new chapters, proud and far-reaching. VNS