In his opening address, Pham Van Thieu, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Council, described the festival as a distinctive cultural, economic, and tourism event of profound significance. He emphasised that it honours the value of the Ca Mau crab while promoting the land, its people, and the province’s development potential.
Thieu highlighted that Ca Mau crab is not only a premium product with the country’s leading output of more than 36,000 tonnes per year, but also a symbol of nature and the labour of the local people.
He noted that following its merger with Bac Lieu Province, the newly-formed Ca Mau remains the national leader in aquaculture, with over 450,000 hectares.
Of this, more than 365,000 hectares are dedicated to crab farming, involving around 169,000 households using extensive ecological models. Crab is the province’s second most important aquaculture species after prawns.
Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Thanh Nam praised Ca Mau’s role as “Viet Nam’s crab capital”, with its farming area and output accounting for the majority nationwide. He added that Ca Mau crab has been granted geographical indication protection.
The Deputy Minister called on ministries and relevant agencies to support Ca Mau in building a “national brand” for its crab, aiming to establish a global value chain and to elevate the Ca Mau Crab Festival into a regional cultural-tourism event, ultimately progressing towards a national festival.
Running until November 22, the second Ca Mau Crab Festival offers a diverse programme of activities, including an exhibition of more than 270 OCOP and culinary stalls; the international seminar “Innovation for Sustainable Development of Viet Nam’s Marine Crab Industry”; and the Ca Mau Marathon – PETRO Viet Nam Cup.
A Don Ca Tai Tu (southern amateur music) festival and a variety of sporting events are also scheduled within the framework of the celebration.
