The programme was attended by a delegation from Lai Chau Province; a delegation from Pu’er City (Yunnan Province); a delegation from Jiangcheng County (China); a delegation from Phongsaly Province of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic; along with a large number of performers, athletes and people of the ethnic groups in Dien Bien Province.
Welcoming provincial delegations to the opening ceremony of the 9th three-country “con” throwing festival in Dien Bien Province, Nguyen Minh Phu, Vice Chairman of the Dien Bien Provincial People’s Committee, expressed his sincere and heartfelt thanks to the delegations for being present at the festive night celebrating friendship and solidarity.
Affirming that “con” throwing is a long-standing traditional cultural feature of ethnic groups in the Northwest (Viet Nam), northern Laos and the southwest (China), Nguyen Minh Phu also stressed that the game symbolises community bonds, faith and aspirations for a warm and happy life.
With the theme “Unity and Friendship – Deepening Borderland Bonds – Developing Together”, the opening art programme featured performances by nearly 200 performers and artisans representing the delegations of Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Phongsaly, Jiangcheng County and Pu’er City.
The distinctive performances aimed to honour and celebrate the beauty of Dien Bien’s nature, culture, history and people, as well as those of Lai Chau, Phongsaly and Yunnan. The Viet Nam–Lao–China border region was portrayed like a richly coloured painting, where the white ban flowers of Dien Bien, the forested mountains of Lai Chau, the warm evening woodsmoke of Phongsaly and the vivid hues of Yunnan blend into a symphony of nature, culture and humanity.
From the lively Ha Nhi drumbeats, the Mong’s khene echoing through the mountains and forests, to the pi flute’s long notes carried on the wind; from customs and festivals to everyday ways of life that are simple yet deeply distinctive – all are woven together into a brilliant brocade of the ethnic communities along the border.
