The rice-themed road has been set up along Xa No Canal in Vi Thanh city of Hau Giang province in the Mekong Delta. It depicts the country’s journey from being a rice importer to becoming the second largest rice exporter in the world.

A total of 20,000 pots of rice are used to feature rice cultivation through different periods throughout the country’s history. The piece stretches for 1.3km in length and is 30m in width.

Meanwhile, for the first time a Vietnamese map model assembled from typical rice varieties of 63 provinces and cities nationwide has been put on display. It is the largest rice map of its kind in the country.

Both pieces of work are part of the first International Rice Festival which gets underway in Hau Giang province from Monday to Friday.

The festival aims to promote the development of high-quality rice production, as well as its value chain towards organic rice production, thereby ensuring food security and climate change adaptation in the Mekong Delta region.

This marks the first time the Vietnam-Hau Giang Rice Industry Festival, which was initiated in 2009, has been upgraded into an international-level event. It features 500 booths showcasing various kinds of rice, products made under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program, delicacies made from rice, and machinery and drones that support rice production.

Around 200 international delegates from 39 countries and territories worldwide have registered to participate in the festival.