Cà Mau, Vietnam's southernmost Mekong Delta province, has lined up a packed late-November calendar. The second Shrimp Festival runs November 21-23 at Phan Ngọc Hiển Square in An Xuyên Ward, timed alongside Việt Nam Culture Day celebrations from November 21-25. Organisers expect 8,000-10,000 visitors.

The Shrimp Festival is the commercial heart of it all: around 350 booths covering shrimp products, ecological shrimp farming models, OCOP (one commune one product) goods, and the province's aquaculture achievements. On November 22, the province teams up with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment for a conference on developing Vietnam's shrimp sector. Shrimp farming is a pillar of the local economy here, so expect plenty of unusual local food and produce you won't find further north.

The Culture Day programme leans into the Delta's cultural mix. It opens November 21 with an art show and low-altitude fireworks at Phan Ngọc Hiển Square, broadcast live on VTV10. November 22 brings an ethnic groups' cultural night celebrating Kinh, Khmer and Hoa heritage: expect tài tử music (a UNESCO-listed intangible cultural heritage), lion dance, the Khmer dù kê musical theatre, rô băm dance, and ngũ âm/Pinpeat ceremonial ensembles associated with Khmer temples. There are also dedicated festivals for Tài Tử music and Khmer Ngũ Âm dance and music, plus a Cà Mau Marathon 2026 and a Composite Boat Race.

If you can't make it south, the province is taking its show on the road: a trade and tourism space at Bình Đông Ward in Ho Chi Minh City from November 13-18, and a "Hello Cà Mau 2026" showcase at Royal City in Hanoi from November 24-29, promoting OCOP products and investment in the marine economy.

Why go? Cà Mau is one of Vietnam's least-visited provinces — mangrove forests, the U Minh region, and the country's southernmost point at Mũi Cà Mau. Late November falls at the tail of the dry season's approach, and the festival gives you food, music and local colour in a single trip. If you like your festivals unpolished and genuinely local rather than staged for tour groups, this is the kind of event worth building a Delta itinerary around.