Hoa Ban Festival returns to Dien Bien

Dien Bien (VNA) – The Hoa Ban Festival has returned to the northwestern province of Dien Bien this year, featuring a series of cultural performances themed “Beautiful land of bauhinia”.

The annual festival, named after the region’s signature flower "hoa ban" or bauhinia, features unique cultural life in the north and northwestern region, home to about 19 ethnic minorities including Thai and Mong people.

The festival was kicked off during a grand opening at the May 7 Square in Dien Bien Phu City, the province’s capital, on March 13 evening. It saw the presence of Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Central Committee Do Van Chien and Minister-Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minorities Affairs Hau A Lenh.

In his opening remarks, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Thang said since 2014, Hoa Ban Festival has been launched in mid-March annually. It has become a signature cultural and tourism event of the province highly-favoured by visitors from all over the country, he said.

The opening of the festival is even more meaningful as exactly 68 years ago, the Dien Bien Phu campaign began which later saw the world-shaking victory of Vietnamese army against French invaders, according to Thang.

He emphasised that the festival provides a good opportunity for Dien Bien to honour, preserve and promote unique traditional cultures of its 19 ethnic minorities. It also aims to introduce the beautiful nature and cultures of not only Dien Bien but also others in the northwestern region, and to boost tourism cooperation, trade and investment with companies and other cities and provinces.

The official also expected the event to contribute to strengthening the solidarity among the Vietnamese ethnic groups.

The festival will run through March 14./.