Dak Lak determined to shape world's best coffee capital

Recently, the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee held a working session with Dak Lak September 2 Import-Export One Member Co., Ltd. (Simexco Daklak) and a panel of experts invited by the company to discuss key initiatives for advancing the province's coffee sector, strengthening the Buon Ma Thuot coffee brand, and positioning the city as the world's premier destination for exceptional coffee. The meeting also reviewed proposals and concepts for activities to be featured at the 2027 Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival.

The meeting was chaired by Do Huu Huy, Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Dak Lak Provincial Party Committee, and Chairman of the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee. Participants included representatives of provincial departments and agencies, Le Duc Huy, Chairman of the Members' Council of Simexco Daklak, and an advisory panel comprising Vu Minh Viet, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Vietnam Agriculture and Nature Newspaper; Le Minh Cuong, CEO of HSDC Trading and Services Co., Ltd.; conductor Dong Quang Vinh, Artistic Director of the Viet Nam National Opera and Ballet and Music Director and Chief Conductor of the New Vitality Ethnic Symphony Orchestra; Mo Shuangshuang, Executive Director of the New Vitality Ethnic Symphony Orchestra; and executives from MOV Media JSC, including Director Trinh Ba Linh and Creative Director Tran Thanh Ly.

Le Duc Huy said that, after reviewing the provincial action program, Simexco Daklak had proactively engaged a team of advisors and proposed two key topics for discussion with the provincial authorities.

The first is the development of a detailed action plan for the "Buon Ma Thuot - The World's Best Coffee Capital" Strategy for the 2026-2030 period, with a vision to 2035.

The second is the creation of a comprehensive city branding and identity system for Buon Ma Thuot as the Coffee City, along with preparations for the 10th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival, scheduled to take place in March 2027.

Simexco Daklak has registered to participate in the implementation of the "Buon Ma Thuot - The World's Best Coffee Capital" Strategy for the 2026-2030 period, with a vision to 2035. The company's proposed initiatives include developing coffee experience destinations, expanding coffee tourism products, strengthening international communications and promotion, standardizing quality and sustainability practices, fostering innovation and training, and organizing trade promotion events.

According to Le Duc Huy, Simexco Daklak is committed to mobilizing its own resources while leveraging its network of partners, customers, coffee-growing regions, processing capacity, and international trading experience to work alongside Dak Lak Province in achieving the vision of making Buon Ma Thuot the world's premier destination for exceptional coffee. A key immediate priority is supporting preparations for the 10th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival in 2027.

During the meeting, Trinh Ba Linh, Tran Thanh Ly, and the advisory team presented a range of proposals aimed at elevating the Buon Ma Thuot coffee brand and enhancing the Coffee Festival. Their recommendations included producing a documentary on coffee, developing a destination branding and tourism strategy for Dak Lak Province, positioning Buon Ma Thuot as the world's best coffee capital, and building a comprehensive coffee ecosystem under the provincial action plan for the "Buon Ma Thuot - The World's Best Coffee Capital" Strategy for 2026-2030, with a vision to 2035.

"Our advisory team has worked closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Vietam Agriculture and Nature Newspaper, and many localities to organize numerous successful national and international events with wide-reaching impact. Building on those achievements, we hope the 2027 Buon Ma Thuot International Coffee Festival will mark a major transformation, becoming a world-class cultural and economic event that ensures whenever people around the world think of coffee, they think of Buon Ma Thuot," said Le Minh Cuong.

Among the proposals presented, conductor Dong Quang Vinh proposed organizing a signature music event centered on coffee.

"I have served as music director for events celebrating a variety of agricultural products, including tea. To me, these products all embody the spirit of Asia and the identity of Viet Nam. Coffee, in particular, aligns perfectly with my musical vision, bringing together Vietnamese culture and the world, Eastern and Western traditions, while presenting them to an international audience," he said.

Representing the advisory panel, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Vu Minh Viet expressed his sincere appreciation to the leadership of the Dak Lak Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Committee, and Simexco Daklak for their trust and support.

He noted that the province's strategic vision, strong aspirations, and sense of responsibility, reflected in the Resolution of the Dak Lak Provincial Party Congress for the 2025-2030 term, Action Program No. 02, and the "Buon Ma Thuot - The World's Best Coffee Capital" Strategy, have generated strong inspiration and momentum for all stakeholders involved in the initiative.

Vu Minh Viet noted that the province's bold vision, decisive leadership, and strong sense of responsibility, combined with the commitment of Simexco Daklak as the province's leading coffee enterprise, have inspired the advisory team to develop proposals for implementing Action Program No. 04 and organizing the 2027 Buon Ma Thuot International Coffee Festival with the highest level of creativity and professionalism.

He added that the proposed initiatives are designed to support the implementation of the Politburo's Resolution No. 80 on cultural development, as well as Resolutions No. 57, 59, 68, and 79, while delivering tangible economic, social, environmental, and cultural benefits.

Concluding the meeting, Do Huu Huy, Chairman of the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee, commended the advisory team for working closely with Simexco Daklak to develop comprehensive, high-quality proposals within a short period of time. He said the concepts demonstrated creativity, innovation, and a distinctive vision that largely met the province's expectations for elevating the Buon Ma Thuot coffee brand and advancing its ambition to become the world's premier coffee capital.

Regarding the 10th Buon Ma Thuot International Coffee Festival in 2027, Do Huu Huy, Chairman of the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee, called on government agencies, businesses, and the advisory team to further refine the proposals to ensure they align with the Politburo's Resolution No. 80 and emerging development trends. He emphasized the need to transform the region's unique culture, signature products, and distinctive identity into a cultural and creative industry capable of generating substantial economic value.

The Chairman also requested the advisory team to finalize the proposal as soon as possible and assigned the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to sign a consultancy contract with the team, lead the appraisal process, and submit the proposal to the provincial People's Committee for approval.

"The guiding principle is that any initiative ready for implementation, whether communications campaigns, branding and logo development, coffee competitions, or the coffee street concept, should begin immediately. Our goal is to ensure that the 2027 Buon Ma Thuot International Coffee Festival leaves a lasting impression both domestically and internationally, while transforming cultural heritage into digital resources, knowledge assets, and intellectual property that can serve as new pillars of development and growth drivers for Dak Lak Province and the Central Highlands," Huy said.