Dear coffee lovers and friends of VietBeans,
I hope your day has been pleasant so far. Have you had a cup of coffee? If not, make yourself one and sit back for a moment. While you enjoy this moment of peace, I want to take you on a short journey.
Yes, a journey that takes us across continents to faraway Vietnam. To be more precise, to the city of Hoi An.
A fascinating city
With around 150,000 inhabitants, Hoi An is one of Vietnam's smaller cities. But don't let that put you off, as hardly any other city has a more vibrant history and richer cultural heritage. Due to its strategic location on the coast of central Vietnam, Hoi An was once the largest port in Southeast Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries and was a popular stopover for maritime trade between Europe and Northeast Asia (Korea, Japan, China, etc.)
The city's unique architectural character is a reflection of the historic trading center that brought with it a fusion of local and foreign influences. Thanks to this impressive diversity and the excellently preserved old town, which represents a living trace of history and culture, Hoi An was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 as the third city in Vietnam (after the imperial city of Hue and the world-famous Halong Bay).
It is precisely this cultural diversity that led to the signing of the partnership agreement between the “colorful city in the Harz” Wernigerode and Hội An in August 2013. Since then, these two cities at different ends of the world have been working on joint projects, including cultural exchange, training and environmental projects.
Nguyen Van Son, Vice President of the Hoi An People's Committee, said that the partnership has become a real friendship through the many projects implemented together. And this friendship should be celebrated once a year!
The Lantern Festival (2023)
To 10 years of friendship!
From the 25 to 27 August 2023 The Hoi An Lantern Festival is celebrated in Wernigerode. At the same time, this year's festival marks the milestone of a 10-year partnership. In the lights of hundreds of handmade Vietnamese lanterns, the city is once again offering a colorful stage program, traditional handicrafts and delicious delicacies from Vietnam.
We at VietBeans don't want to miss this spectacle either. In addition to a Lantern Festival-exclusive voucher for a FREE hand filter, we will also be providing you with a wide selection of traditional Vietnamese coffee products this year. We would of course be delighted to meet you personally as our customers. Then we can talk over a cup of coffee about how Vietnam became the second largest coffee producer in the world.
So, if you haven’t planned anything for the weekend of August 25th to 27th, come along and enjoy a few days full of culture and adventure in Wernigerode.
We look forward to meeting you there!
