Second Thai National Cultural Festival opens in Dien Bien

The opening ceremony was attended by the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and nearly 600 artists from the five provinces of Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Son La, Yen Bai and Thanh Hoa, along with an art troupe of Luang Namtha Province in Laos, as well as a large number of people from all ethnic groups in Dien Bien Province.

The performances in the opening ceremony aimed to honour the cultural traditions, achievements and contributions of the Thai ethnic community in preserving and promoting the cultural identity of ethnic groups in the unified and diverse Vietnamese culture.

With the theme "Conservation and promotion of Thai cultural identity in the period of integration and development of the country", the second Thai National Cultural Festival runs until October 20.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Quang Tung emphasised the significance and importance of the festival. Through the festival, people will admire and enjoy the traditional cultural values of the Thai people, especially “mua xoe”, a traditional dance of Thai ethnic people which has been recognised as national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The festival is also a good opportunity to promote the image and introduce the unique cultural tourism potential of Dien Bien Province in particular and the Northwest region in general, and is a driving force for socio-economic development of localities in the region, he added.

Various cultural, sport and tourism events will be held, such as performing in traditional Thai ethnic costumes, introducing cultural activities of Thai ethnic groups, and promoting local tourism products.

Visitors can also learn about Thai ethnic groups’ brocade weaving skills and take part in folk games such as stilt-walking, crossbow shooting, and tug of war.