Dak Lak Durian Festival 2026: dates, venues, the 500-pickup parade and what to expect
Dak Lak is Viet Nam's largest durian-growing province, with roughly 45,000 hectares under cultivation and an estimated 500,000 tonnes for the 2026 crop. In August 2026 the province holds its first province-level durian festival — nineteen days, eighteen activities, three host localities.
Key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates | 15 August – 2 September 2026 (19 days) |
| Theme | “Dak Lak Durian – Connecting Far and Wide” |
| Host localities | Buon Ma Thuot ward, Krong Pac commune, Tuy Hoa ward and key growing communes of Dak Lak province |
| Scale | 18 activities, an estimated 300,000 visits |
| Admission | Public activities are free of charge |
| Legal basis | Decision No. 1492/QD-UBND dated 23 May 2026 of the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee |
The 500-pickup durian parade, 16 August
The headline activity was a parade of more than 500 pickup trucks carrying fresh durians (Tien Phong reported 525), which departed at 8 a.m. on 16 August 2026 from Tan An Square in Krong Pac commune and finished on Vo Nguyen Giap Boulevard in Buon Ma Thuot. The Guinness World Records title for the longest parade of durian-carrying pickup trucks was awarded on the same day: at midday on 16 August 2026, on Vo Nguyen Giap Boulevard in Tan Lap ward, Ms Sohn Minyoung, an official Guinness World Records adjudicator, announced the record on behalf of the organisation.
Spectators may watch free of charge along the route. Vo Nguyen Giap Boulevard between Nguyen Luong Bang and Le Duan is closed to all traffic from 6.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. on 16 August. Full route and traffic details are on the Vietnamese schedule page.
Main activities
- Opening ceremony — 8 p.m., 15 August, 10-3 Square, Buon Ma Thuot. Broadcast live on VTV8.
- Durian and OCOP trade exhibition — 15–23 August, Dak Lak Culture and Tourism Centre, around 400 booths.
- Durian Food Festival — opens 8 a.m. on 16 August at ECO Palace, 02 Mai Hac De, Buon Ma Thuot; 102 durian-based dishes.
- “Sustainable durian ecosystem” forum — 16 August, Muong Thanh Luxury Buon Ma Thuot Hotel; around 630 delegates and 200 businesses, including 20 foreign companies from China and Thailand.
- “Longhouse Memories” outdoor show — evenings of 17, 18 and 19 August at the Dak Lak Museum.
- Grand music night “Dak Lak Rising” — 8 p.m., 22 August, 10-3 Square.
- Closing ceremony — 8 p.m., 2 September, Phu Yen Square, Tuy Hoa ward, combined with a National Day arts programme.
Dak Lak durian in numbers
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Cultivated area | About 45,000 hectares — roughly 21.7% of Viet Nam's total durian area |
| Area in harvest | About 30,000 hectares |
| 2026 crop output | About 500,000 tonnes |
| 2025 export turnover | About USD 1.1 billion — nearly 30% of Viet Nam's durian export turnover |
| Growing-area codes granted | 280 codes covering about 7,500 hectares; 42 packing-facility codes |
| Export markets | China, Thailand, Japan, the United States |
A fuller Vietnamese-language breakdown of the industry is on the Dak Lak durian industry page.
Getting there
Buon Ma Thuot has a domestic airport. By road it is about 350 km from Ho Chi Minh City along National Highway 14, and about 190 km from Nha Trang along National Highway 26. August is the rainy season in the Central Highlands: mornings are usually sunny, short afternoon showers are common.
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