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”.
A folk cultural performance in the opening of Hoa Ban Festival in Dien Bien Phu City on March 13. (Photo: VNA)
Dien Bien (VNA) – The Hoa Ban Festival hasreturned to the northwestern province of Dien Bien this year, featuring a series ofcultural performances themed “Beautiful land of bauhinia”.
The annual festival, named after the region’s signatureflower "hoa ban" or bauhinia, features unique cultural life in the north andnorthwestern region, home to about 19 ethnic minorities including Thai and Mongpeople.
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 13evening. It saw the presence of Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’sCentral Committee Do Van Chien and Minister-Chairman of the Committee forEthnic Minorities Affairs Hau A Lenh.
In his opening remarks, Secretary of the provincial PartyCommittee Nguyen Van Thang said since 2014, Hoa Ban Festival has been launchedin mid-March annually. It has become a signature cultural and tourism event ofthe province highly-favoured by visitors from all over the country, he said.
The opening of the festival is even more meaningful as exactly68 years ago, the Dien Bien Phu campaign began which later saw the world-shakingvictory of Vietnamese army against French invaders, according to Thang.
A dance performance depicting the beauty of hoa ban (bauhinia), the north-western region's signature flower. (Photo: VNA)
He emphasised that the festival provides a good opportunityfor Dien Bien to honour, preserve and promote unique traditional cultures of its19 ethnic minorities. It also aims to introduce the beautiful nature andcultures of not only Dien Bien but also others in the northwestern region, andto boost tourism cooperation, trade and investment with companies and othercities and provinces.
The official also expected the event to contribute to strengtheningthe solidarity among the Vietnamese ethnic groups.
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