Red River Festival 2024 promotes cultural exchange between Vietnam and China
The Red River Festival 2024 will be held from September to November in Lao Cai province, with invitations to Yunnan province, China, and provinces along the river in Vietnam.
The festival themed Nơi Con Sông Hồng Chảy Vào Đất Việt (Where the Red River flows into Vietnam) will include participation of a delegation from China's Yunnan province and provinces along the river.
The event will be centred in Lao Cai City, Bat Xat district, and many cultural and tourism activities will take place in other places like Sa Pa and Bac Ha district.
It will feature cultural and art exchange programmes between Vietnam and China, along with performances and exhibitions from other provinces in the North.
Visitors can experience the cultural and culinary uniqueness of ethnic groups living in Lao Cai province, provinces along the Red River in Vietnam and Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan, China. There will be exhibitions of captivating photographs, stories and artefacts about Lao Cai and the Red River.
To further strengthen the relationship between China and Vietnam, there will be special sporting events including the marathon 'Friendship Road' from Lao Cai province to Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, the international bicycle race 'One Track - Two Countries' and the Lao Cai Provincial Open Golf Championship 2024.
Part of the festival will also be an international conference 'Solutions to promote cooperation and development between the Red River provinces - Vietnam and Yunnan Province - China' to encourage business partnerships and a competition about composing theme songs about the Red River.
The Red River Festival aims to demonstrate the strategic position of Lao Cai province, linking the history of the civilisation of the Red River with the province, promoting its potential and strengths in terms of economic, cultural and social development.
The Hồng (Red) River, which is over 1,100 kilometres long, originates in China and flows through Vietnam.
The river section that flows through Vietnam is about 510 kilometres long, flowing across ten northern provinces, where agriculture plays an important role in the country's economy. The Red River has three tributaries in Vietnam – the Đà, Lô and Thao rivers.
The festival is always a popular tourist attraction, bustling with weekend campers and visiting cruise ships.
Along the Red River, tourists can enjoy the fresh open air with views of the fields of sugarcane and maize along the river banks.
