Vietnam’s first timber and forest product festival will be held next year in Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh province from March 26-29.

So far 12 provinces and cities, 125 businesses planning 350 stalls, consulates and businesses from the Netherlands, the UK, France, Japan, China and Russia as well as other international organisations have all registered to take part in the event.

The information was released at a press briefing in Quy Nhon City on December 20 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam Timber and Forest Product Association, the Binh Dinh provincial People’s Committee and the Dat Vo Media and Advertising Company.

During the festival, there will be a Vietnamese timber and forest product exhibition, a Vietnamese ornamental plant festival, two seminars on forestry, trade promotion activities, and a ceremony to honour outstanding people in the forestry sector and present forestry Guinness records. There will also be outdoor art performances, a cultural and cuisine festival, a drawing contest, a photo exhibition on forest protection, and a badminton tournament for timber and forest product businesses.

Vietnam earned US$310 million from timber exports in November 2010, up 29.56 percent against November 2009, and bringing the total export value in 11 months to more than US$3 billion.