“The provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has launched a series of preparatory activities for the festival, including upgrading infrastructure and facilities, developing detailed plans for the event, and organising programmes for the opening and closing ceremonies, cultural exhibitions, traditional ethnic performances, and sports competitions,” said Tran Hai Ha, Deputy Director of the Department.

“Preparations are being carried out quickly and efficiently, and, in general, everything is ready to ensure the festival runs as scheduled from December 19 to 21,” he told VOV.

The festival, the 9th of its kind, will host around 1,200 participants, including delegates, artists, athletes, and organisers from Vietnam’s Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces, Laos’s Phong Sa Ly district, and China’s Jiangcheng county and Pu’er city.

The event will feature opening and closing ceremonies highlighting ethnic performances, folk costumes, and traditional arts. Visitors can explore exhibitions of local crafts, cultural products, and photo displays reflecting life along the border.

Sports competitions, a central highlight, will include traditional regional games such as ball-throwing, tug-of-war, crossbow shooting, and đánh cù (baton hitting), alongside pickleball, a modern sport attracting young participants.

The festival will also host a famtrip programme to survey Dien Bien’s tourism sites and connect regional travel businesses, fostering cross-border tourism development.

Additional activities surrounding the festival include mountain climbing challenges at Pu To Co, youth cross-country races, swallow-tail boat racing, and the Cherry Blossom Festival in Muong Phang commune, expanding cultural and tourism opportunities beyond the main event.

The festival is expected to not only celebrate shared cultural heritage but also strengthen diplomatic ties, promote sustainable cross-border tourism, and enhance economic development in the border region, while showcasing Dien Bien as well a to international audiences.

Muong ethnic people holds traditional festival to pray for bumper harvests

VOV.VN - The Muong ethnic group in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak lowered the Neu pole erected for the Lunar New Year holiday, in a traditional festival on February 5, to pray for bumper harvests and prosperity throughout the year.