The Ban Flower Festival will be held from March 13-18 this year in the northwest province of Dien Bien and featuring a wide range of activities, heard a press conference in Dien Bien Phu city on January 7.
Accordingly, the highlight of the event will be an opening ceremony with a special art performance programme.
The festival will also feature an exhibition on the traditional culture of Dien Bien’s ethnic groups, including folk singing and dancing festivals; an introduction on cultural and tourism products; food; traditional handicrafts; sports performance; and a beauty contest.
The sixth Dien Bien Culture, Sports, and Tourism Festival will be opened on the same day as the Hoa Ban festival.
Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Van Quy said the events are part of activities to mark the 65th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory (May 7, 1954-2019).
The ban flower festival is held annually in the locality, aiming to introduce and preserve the locality’s cultural values and heritages, as well as promote its tourism potential and strengths, contributing to accelerating local socio-economic development, he said.
The festival began in 2014 on the 60th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu’s victory. The festival is designed to promote the image of Dien Bien province and ban flower (scientifically known as Bauhinia Variegata), which has become a symbol of the land and people of Dien Bien and the northwest region in general. The flower often blossoms in March-April.
March 13, 1954, was the opening day of the Dien Bien Phu Battle and as such became the date selected as the opening day of the annual ban festival in Dien Bien.
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