Coffee prices in Dak Lak in the 2024-2025 crop year are good. (Photo: Hoai Thu/VNA)
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has just officially certified "Knowledge of growing and processing coffee in Dak Lak" as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage (according to Decision No. 548/QD-BVHTTDL dated March 5, 2025).
Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dak Lak province, Lai Duc Dai, said that Dak Lak province in particular and the Central Highlands region in general are holding a valuable source of knowledge, "Knowledge of growing and processing coffee."
The certification of “Knowledge of coffee growing and processing” of Dak Lak province as a national intangible cultural heritage not only honors the values of coffee but also recognizes the contributions of farmers and processors to the Vietnamese coffee industry in general and Dak Lak province in particular.
The recognition of this heritage also contributes to creating added value for coffee beans, helping farmers have a more prosperous life and promoting the development of the coffee industry. Dak Lak province is not only a destination for cultural experiences, but also a place to enjoy and experience coffee growing and processing activities.
“Knowledge of coffee growing and processing” being certified as a national intangible cultural heritage is an honor and pride for the people of all ethnic groups in Dak Lak province, and they are even more proud and excited on the eve of the 9th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival.
“Knowledge of growing and processing coffee in Dak Lak” is also known as Dak Lak Coffee Growing Craft, this is a type of folk knowledge, a traditional craft. Knowledge of growing and processing coffee is recognized in almost all districts in the province, mainly concentrated in Buon Ma Thuot city, Cu M'gar, Krong Pak, Ea H'leo, Cu Kuin districts and Buon Ho town.
The cultural subjects of Coffee Growing and Processing Knowledge are individuals and families who hold coffee growing and processing knowledge passed down through generations in their families and communities, including most of the local ethnic people such as Ede, M'Nong and immigrants from other places who came here to live and grow coffee since the 1950s.
The cultural space of the heritage includes: coffee growing space, coffee processing space and space for practicing rituals and beliefs related to coffee trees. Coffee gardens (coffee plantations) are practice spaces, representing the knowledge of growing and processing coffee of the community. Coffee gardens can be said to be assets inherited through generations in the family.
Currently, Dak Lak is “the coffee capital of Vietnam” because of its leading area and output in the country. Coffee is the main agricultural product in the provincial economic structure, accounting for a large proportion of the province’s total social product and annual export turnover, directly affecting the income of the majority of people.
With the current coffee area reaching 212,106 hectares, the output reaching over 535,672 tons/year, the coffee tree not only has socio-economic significance but also has great significance in terms of culture and tourism. The process of developing the coffee industry combined with the development of eco-tourism and on-site culture has attracted an increasing number of tourists to visit and travel.
Currently, the whole province has over 200 coffee processing facilities, most of which are small and medium-sized enterprises, mainly processing by the dry processing method./.
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