This is also the time for the Bauhinia Flower Festival, which features numerous cultural activities and rituals that are deeply imbued with the cultural identity of the ethnic groups in the Northwest region.
In the Northwest, while the peach blossoms signal the living area of the Mong ethnic community, bauhinia flowers are often seen in front of the stilt houses in the villages of the Thai ethnic people.
With their pure beauty, bauhinia flowers, also known as mountain ebony flowers, are popular in the life of Thai people in Northwest Vietnam, particularly in Son La Province. The flower is mentioned through ancient stories, folk songs, and poems. Not only are bauhinia flowers a beautiful symbol in Thai culture, but they are also closely tied to the daily lives of the people, from food to rituals.
For the Thai ethnic people in Son La, bauhinia flowers hold cultural and spiritual significance. The flowers are often used in traditional festivals and daily life, symbolising aspirations for love, prosperity, and gratitude towards nature and ancestors.
Every March, visitors to the Thai ethnic villages during this time can admire the blooming bauhinia flowers in front of stilt houses across the villages, and on the hillsides, while also enjoying unique dishes made from the flowers.
Quang Thi Chien from Sang Village, Chieng Xom Commune, Son La City, shared that over generations, Thai ethnic people have developed a strong connection with the bauhinia tree, growing stronger as they move from childhood to adulthood then become parents and grandparents.
“The flower is part of our cultural life, tied to traditional festivals like Xen Ban, Xen Muong, and rituals to pray for rain and good harvest.
Bauhinia flowers are used both to decorate and beautify the cultural space of the festivals and as offerings by the Thai people to pray for a prosperous and peaceful new year.
In terms of culinary culture, bauhinia flowers and sprouts are key ingredients in dishes rich in the flavours of the mountainous areas. One notable dish is the bauhinia salad, with its sweet and refreshing taste being created by mixing the flowers with ginger, lemongrass, ‘mac khen’ seed, bamboo shoots, and indigenous leaves with a bitter flavour from the forest.
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| Visitors pose under the iconic white and purple hues of bauhinia flowers. |
In recent years, Son La Province has planned bauhinia flower spots for development as a tourist highlight to attract visitors. Therefore, March is a time not only for Thai people to mark their agricultural calendar but also to host Bauhinia Festival and other exciting cultural activities.
For the ethnic groups in the Northwest, bauhinia flowers blooming across the hills and forests signal favourable weather and a bountiful harvest. Everyone looks forward to the blooming season of bauhinia each spring. Gradually, the season has become more joyful with the arrival of tourists from across the country, which has helped local people improve their livelihood.
According to Tran Cong Chinh, Vice Chairman of Son La City People's Committee, the Bauhinia Flower Festival has been held regularly since 2003, attracting large numbers of tourists and locals.
The 2025 Festival took place from March 15 to 16 at Tay Bac (Northwest) Square in Son La City. The festival included numerous cultural and artistic activities, folk games which were imbued with cultural identity of the local ethnic groups.
Tran Xuan Viet, Deputy Director of the Son La Provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, noted that in addition to organising tourism promotion activities and marketing events linked to the blooming bauhinia season, the local cultural sector has also developed community-based tourist sites in the growing areas of bauhinia trees, and launched a photo contest and poetry contest on the theme of bauhinia flowers.
These activities are among broader effort of Son La Province to create more distinctive tourist products, attracting more visitors to the locality during the blooming bauhinia flower season.
