Lai Chau to host Vietnam-Laos-China ‘con’ throwing festival
The sixth Vietnam-Laos-China ‘con’ festival, themed “Colour of friendship”, will take place in Muong Te district, the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau from December 29-31.
Vice Chairman of the Muong Te district People’s Committee Tran Duc Hien speaks at the press conference (Photo: VNA)
Lai Chau (VNA) - The Vietnam-Laos-China ‘con’ festival, themed “Colour offriendship”, will take place in Muong Te district, the northern mountainousprovince of Lai Chau from December 29-31.
The sixth event of this kind will gather nearly 1,000 artists and athletes fromthe three countries.
In addition to ‘con’ throwing competitions, the three-day festival will featurefolk games, a show of traditional costumes, an exhibition and a trade fair onVietnamese consumer products and cultural exchange activities.
Speaking at a press conference in Lai Chau city on December 11 on the organisationof the festival, Vice Chairman of the Muong Te district People’s Committee TranDuc Hien underlined the significance of the event, saying that it aims to enhancepeople-to-people exchange, solidarity and friendship among border localities ofthe three nations.
The biennial festival will also contribute to introducing cultural identities ofethnic minority groups in Lai Chau in general and Muong Te district in particularto international friends, he said.
‘Con’ is a small ball made from pieces ofcolourful cloths sewn together and stuffed with puffed rice and cotton seeds. Itis thrown at a bamboo hoop as part of a folk game played during the festivalsand New Year holidays of Thai ethnic communities. It is often held on aspacious and flat ground where a 15-20m high bamboo pole is erected with thetarget on top. The game has been adopted by people living in the border areasof Laos, China and Vietnam./.
Dien Bien Phu city in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien is speeding up preparations for the third Vietnam-Laos-China “con” (colourful fabric ball) throwing festival slated for October 25-27.
The third Vietnam-Laos-China ‘con’ festival wrapped up in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien on October 27, gathering hundreds of artists and athletes from around the region.
The Vietnamese team will gather on June 26 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, where they will train until July 14 before departing for Indonesia for the ASEAN U23 Championship 2025, which runs from July 15 to 29. Vietnam will face Laos on July 19 and Cambodia on July 22 in the group stage.
The exhibition showcases more than 100 valuable documents and artifacts, divided into two main parts: “Journalist Nguyen Ai Quoc – Ho Chi Minh” and “President Ho Chi Minh – Founder and Mentor of Vietnamese Revolutionary Press.” This is an opportunity to recall the late leader’s journalism journey and affirm his exceptional role in founding and guiding the revolutionary press in Vietnam.
For the first time, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has granted Vietnam hosting rights for the two championships, including the Asian women’s solo category, which debuts this year as an officially recognised event.
Eight teams will join the tournament, divided into two groups. Group A features Vietnam, the Philippines, Sichuan Club (China), and Australia, while Group B consists of Vietnam U21, Korabelka Club (Russia), Taiwan (China), and U21 Thailand.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Vice Chairman of the Muong Te district People’s Committee Tran Duc Hien speaks at the press conference (Photo: VNA) 
