Now an annual event, the festival has become a key highlight in the cultural life of the local community. Over the years, both its scale and content have been continuously expanded, gradually shaping a distinctive cultural brand deeply rooted in ethnic identity.

Cuc Phuong is home to 16 ethnic groups, with ethnic minorities accounting for more than 50% of the population. The area preserves a rich cultural heritage, including notable intangible cultural assets such as Mo Muong chanting, the New Rice Festival, the Khai Ha Festival, duet singing, gong performances and various traditional folk games of the Muong people. Notably, Mo Muong and the New Rice Festival have been recognised as national intangible cultural heritage elements.

Beyond its cultural richness, Cuc Phuong also holds strong potential for tourism development, with its unique primeval forest ecosystem within Cuc Phuong National Park, the first nature reserve in Vietnam, alongside cave systems, archaeological sites dating back nearly 12,000 years, and natural hot mineral springs. These assets provide a solid foundation for developing eco-tourism and resort tourism in the locality.

At the opening ceremony, Pham Manh Hung, chairman of the Cuc Phuong Commune People’s Committee, underscored that the festival is held in celebration of major political milestones, including the success of the 14th National Party Congress, and the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and local People’s Councils.

He stressed that the event plays an important role in strengthening ethnic unity, while promoting the image of Cuc Phuong and its people.

The festival also aims to preserve and promote traditional cultural values in connection with tourism development, generate livelihoods and improve local living standards, with a goal of making tourism a key economic sector in the 2026–2030 period.

This year’s festival, taking place from April 17 to 19, brings together eight participating delegations from both within and outside the commune, as well as students from the Ninh Binh Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities.

A wide range of activities are being held, including folk performances, sports competitions, traditional games, culinary showcases, and a trade fair featuring one commune-one product (OCOP) products and local handicrafts.

During the festival, visitors can immerse themselves in the vibrant highland cultural space with gong performances, traditional music, folk songs, and hands-on experiences of local customs and products.

First-ever folk song festival held on Vietnam-China border river

VOV.VN - Authorities of Cao Bang province (Vietnam) and Chongzuo city (Guangxi, China) on April 13 jointly organised the first-ever folk song festival on a border river, as part of the 2026 Vietnam–China border residents exchange programme.