Attending the opening ceremony were Ha Thi Khiet, former Secretary of the Party Central Committee (PCC) and former Head of the PCC Commission for Mass Mobilisation, and Hau A Lenh, PCC Member and Secretary of the Tuyen Quang Provincial Party Committee, along with representatives of the Viet Nam Tourism Association and delegations from China and the Philippines.
In his opening remarks, Do Hung Duc, Vice Chairman of the Tuyen Quang Provincial People’s Committee, emphasised that, after its many years of being held, the Buckwheat Flower Festival had become a signature cultural and tourism event, helping to promote the land and people of Tuyen Quang to friends both at home and abroad.
Under the theme “Echoes of the Rocky Plateau,” this year’s festival not only honours the beauty of buckwheat flowers but also conveys a message about the remarkable vitality of people living in the rocky highlands, the continuation of traditional cultural values and the aspirations of ethnic minority communities living along the nation’s borderlands to progress and prosper.
Through a wide range of cultural, artistic, sporting, tourism, trade promotion, and community-based experience activities, the festival provides opportunities for local people and visitors to meet, explore, and gain a deeper understanding of the natural landscapes, geological heritage, and cultural identity of the Dong Van Karst Plateau.
Do Hung Duc called on authorities at all levels, relevant sectors, localities, businesses, and people to continue preserving and promoting the cultural heritage values, natural landscapes, and UNESCO Global Geopark status of the Dong Van Karst Plateau. He also stressed the importance of safeguarding the cultural identities of ethnic groups and promoting the role of artisans, respected community figures, and local communities in passing cultural values on to younger generations.
He also called for improvements in the quality of tourism products and services, making them more professional, diverse, and rich in visitor experiences. Community-based tourism, ecotourism and cultural experiential tourism should be encouraged, with the buckwheat flowering season linked to the promotion of One Commune One Product (OCOP) products, distinctive agricultural produce, traditional cuisine, and handicrafts.
Greater cooperation between localities, businesses, cooperatives, and household enterprises has also been encouraged to develop attractive tourism products, routes and destinations, extend visitors’ stays and increase their spending.
At the opening ceremony, Ha Thi Khiet, former PCC Secretary and former Head of the PCC Commission for Mass Mobilisation, and Hau A Lenh, PCC Member and Secretary of the Tuyen Quang Provincial Party Committee, joined central and local leaders in performing the festival’s opening ceremony.
The ceremony was followed by a special artistic programme featuring artists, folk performers and 200 schoolchildren.
A wide range of activities are taking place as part of the festival, including the Golden Harvest Festival in Thanh Thuy Commune; a cultural space in Quan Ba Commune; the Fish New Year Festival in Mau Due Commune; a promotional roadshow in Yen Minh Commune; a Lo Lo ethnic cultural day; a Viet Nam–China cultural exchange; an exhibition and showcase of OCOP products from Tuyen Quang Province; an ethnic cultural day in Lung Tam Commune; an open buckwheat flower table tennis cup; tourism experience activities; artistic exchanges; traditional folk games; and the launch of a new tourism product: “Rock – The Spirit of Stone.”
Localities have also planted nearly 300 hectares of buckwheat to serve the festival, with the main growing areas concentrated in Dong Van, Sa Phin, Pho Bang, and Lung Cu communes. At present, the first crop of buckwheat flowers is blooming and setting seed and is expected to reach its peak around the opening ceremony, while the second crop is beginning to form buds.
