Vietnam International Coffee Show
May 12-14, 2016 Held at SECC, District 7, HCMC
Had the joy and pleasure in attending Vietnam's first International Coffee Show 2016 earlier this month which also hosted Vietnam's first ever National Barista Championship, super exciting! As a former barista, I was keen to see what Vietnam had to offer in terms of skills and talent.
Unfortunately, it was quite hard to see what was happening, setup was not optimal for observation from audience members as there were no overhead or roaming cameras to get us up close and personal with the action. Hopefully next year will see and improvement in this area. We want to feel the heat and hear the sizzle!
To more than make up for it, the exhibition featured the All Stars, World Barista Champions hailing from different corners of the world, coming together to do what they do best. Crowds were drawn to this section of the exhibition center to get a glimpse of the coffee industry's superstars making and pouring them the perfect beverage. The All Stars did an excellent job of entertaining and mingling with their eager fans, guiding them through the process and answering any questions thrown their way.
The exhibition provided the perfect platform for many businesses to promote their product and produce, with free yogurt, ice cream and samples being handed out left right and center to entice and entertain attendees. An absolute party for the taste buds. And of course no shortage of free caffeine fueled beverages for the coffee addict, with different stalls featuring unique beans and flavors.
The event was free for all to attend. All in all I have to say they did a good job in setting up the event, it wasn't huge but didn't underwhelm either. Looking forward to seeing how next year's will unfold.
P.S.
Congratulations to Trần Quế Hân, Vietnam's first National Barista Champion. She will be flying to Dublin, Ireland to compete for the world title on an all expenses paid Coffee Adventure!
