HO CHI MINH CITY, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The 2018 Southern Fruit Festival will take place here on June 1-17, featuring hundreds of types of Vietnamese fruits and cultural activities.

The festival at Suoi Tien Theme Park in Ho Chi Minh City's District 9 will highlight such tropical fruits as durian, mango, coconut, dragon fruit and mangosteen, and parade shows, exhibitions, art performance shows and contests, the municipal Department of Tourism said on Thursday.

During the weeklong event, many fruit-promoting programs will be held at supermarkets, hotels, and travel agencies in the city.

Vietnam made fruit and veggie export turnovers of over 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in the first four months of this year, up nearly 30 percent year-on-year, said its Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Specifically, the country reaped 989 million U.S. dollars from exporting fruits and vegetables to China, surging over 30 percent.