Introducing lotus tea

Many unique activities

According to representatives of the Department of Tourism, Hue - International Tea Festival 2025 is a large-scale event series designed for both locals and tourists, featuring tea, herbal, and accompanying food producers from Vietnam and abroad; tea artisans; baristas (specialists in preparing coffee and non-alcoholic beverages); mixologists; brand founders; and beverage trainees.

During the three-day festival (October 31st - November 2nd, 2025), numerous engaging activities will take place. Alongside the opening ceremony, the organization board announced there will be seminars and cultural exchanges under the themes “The Art of Tea Appreciation in Vietnamese and Asian Culture” and “Creative Tea Trends Among Youth and in the Culinary Industry”. These sessions will be held at Truong Sanh Palace - Hue Imperial Citadel (going in through Hoa Binh Gate on Dang Thai Than Street), gathering creative tea producers and brands such as Teapresso, Teart, and Herbal Tea, etc…. In addition, scholars, tea researchers, and tea ceremony masters from Vietnam and other countries will participate and share valuable insights.

As part of the program, there will be an exhibition space showcasing tea, tea-based products, and accompanying foods, along with a tea-tasting experience zone. According to the organization board, approximately 25 booths are expected, featuring domestic and international tea, herbal, and food producers.

Meticulously making lotus tea

A highlight that adds excitement to Hue - International Tea Festival 2025 is the “Teatender - Modern Tea Brewing Competition”. Leaders of the Department of Tourism shared that the event aims not only to create a platform for preserving and promoting Vietnamese and international tea cultures but also to inspire creativity and modernization of Vietnamese tea in urban life, connecting artisans, baristas, and creators in the F&B industry. Particularly, through the competition, the festival will promote Hue’s Truoi Tea as a new feature of contemporary Vietnamese tea culture. The competition includes three rounds: the preliminary round which was held online via video submissions from September 30th to October 20th, 2025 and two on-site rounds (semifinal and final) during the festival. “The highlight of the final round will be the challenge themed ‘Truoi Tea - New Creativity on Heritage Foundations’, where contestants will create a new beverage using Hue’s specialty Truoi Tea as the base, paired with a suitable food item (dessert, savory dish, or vegetarian option, etc…). Contestants will also present a story that connects culture, personal inspiration, and the reason behind their chosen pairing”, said a representative from the Department of Tourism.

Within Hue - International Tea Festival 2025’s activities, international tea masters and artistic tea brands will perform tea arts and interactive tea ceremonies, combining storytelling and traditional tea demonstrations from various countries.

A special feature for travelers seeking cultural and spiritual enrichment experience will be the program “Mindful Tea: Tea and Tales” (at the Lieu Quan Buddhist Cultural Center 15 Le Loi Street, Hue City), where guests can listen to stories about tea and tea appreciation culture, promoting a slow, mindful, and soulful lifestyle as a journey of healing.

Towards becoming a signature and regular event

According to leaders of the Department of Tourism, Hue - International Tea Festival 2025 is being organized through close coordination among departments, agencies, and domestic and international tourism businesses in Hue to ensure synchronized implementation. Guaranteeing the professionalism and effectiveness of the experiential activities within Hue - International Tea Festival 2025 will serve as a foundation for turning the event into a signature activity held regularly and annually. “In 2025, Hue City hosts the National Tourism Year with numerous events and activities. We hope that, besides successfully organizing these programs, the tourism sector, together with relevant agencies and businesses, will also complete a set of distinctive tourism products representing Hue”, said Tran Thi Hoai Tram, Director of the Department of Tourism.

Tea culture is a traditional beauty of the Vietnamese people in general and Hue in particular

With the participation of experts, artisans, and tea enthusiasts, this is an opportunity to honor the cultural value of Vietnamese tea, creating cultural dialogues among artisans, tea houses, and brands from China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. From there, the festival aims to breathe new life into Vietnam’s tea industry, introduce both traditional and creative tea products, and contribute to promoting local tourism and specialty trade.

According to Mr. Vo Hoang Lien Minh, Chief of Office of the Department of Tourism, all activities in the program aim to create a cultural and tourism space that blends tradition and modernity, combining Vietnamese identity with international refinement. The event also seeks to spread the slow-living lifestyle, tea meditation, and the “Zen spirit” amid the fast pace of modern life, developing new tourism products such as Tea & Wellness tourism models, offering tourists unique and appealing experiences during their stay in Hue, especially during the less favorable rainy season, and expanding the reach of Hue’s tourism to a wider audience.

From tea talks to creative booths, from the artisans’ hands to the joy of tourists, all contribute to reviving the vitality of Vietnam’s tea industry, a harmonious journey of culture, creativity, and tourism, rich and lingering like the very taste of Hue’s tea, creating new opportunities for the city to enrich its distinctive tourism products.

Story and photos: Huu Phuc