In Dien Bien Phu City, the streets, roads, and historical sites are all adorned with the white Ban flowers. This flower is a symbol the land of Dien Bien in the Northwest, and it is highlighted through the annual Bauhinia Flower Festival. Since it was first held in 2014, the festival has brought new hope and trust to the land and people of Dien Bien.
Visiting Dien Bien during the Bauhinia Flower Festival, tourists can immerse themselves in an array of cultural, sports and artistic activities imbued with traditional identities of the ethnic minorities in Dien Bien.
The Bauhinia Flower Festival was first launched in March 2014, the year in which Dien Bien solemnly celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory.
The 2014 festival opened on March 13 with an arts programme entitled ‘Bauhinia Flowers in Bloom’, leaving a deep impression on tourists and locals about the history of the northern mountainous land, as well as the life, culture, and unique art of the 19 ethnic groups in Dien Bien Province.
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| Bauhinia flower is a symbol of Dien Bien Province and the northwest region (Photo: VNA) |
Notably, the message conveyed through the art programme during the opening night, along with the sincere sentiments of the people of Dien Bien throughout the festival, instilled in the hearts of tourists and friends a new image of Dien Bien, which is changing day by day.
Nguyen Dang Quang, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Dien Bien, recalled: “Using a flower to name a festival, which was organised for the first time and was chosen as the starting event of a series of activities celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, was extremely challenging for us.”
The requirements for the script, stage layout, and content of cultural and sports programs within the event framework all had to focus on the history and culture of Dien Bien. Under the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, we rolled out every effort to provide tourists with a closer look into the symbolic flower of the people on the historic land of Dien Bien.
“We were glad that the programme was well-received by the people and tourists, making the 'Bauhinia Flower Festival ' a reminder for everyone to return to Dien Bien every March,” Quang noted with pleasure.
Since its first edition in 2014, every March when the bauhinia flowers bloom across the forests and roads, Dien Bien is filled with festive atmosphere and is ready to welcome visitors from across the country.
In previous Bauhinia Flower Festival 2024 when Dien Bien was chosen to host the National Tourism Year, the province attracted large numbers of domestic and international visitors.
In 2024, Dien Bien welcomed around 1.85 million visitors, earned 3.3 trillion VND in tourism revenue, significantly contributing to the province's GRDP growth rate of over 10%.
Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Thanh Do stated that 2024 was the first year Dien Bien hosted 28 national and regional programmes and events; plus 128 events organised by ministries, departments, and other provinces.
The successful organisation of the National Tourism Year - Dien Bien 2024, the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 2024) and the Dien Bien Bauhinia Flower Festival 2024 brought around 1.85 million visitors to Dien Bien.
The tourism revenue reached 3.3 trillion VND, significantly contributing to the province's GRDP growth rate of over 10% in 2024.
In 2024, Dien Bien mobilised social resources to renovate 5,000 social houses for poor households, policy beneficiary families, and ethnic minority families in mountainous and border areas.
Vu A Bang, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, noted that taking the starting day of the historic Dien Bien Phu Campaign on March 13, 1954, Dien Bien will kick off the 2025 Bauhinia Flower Festival on the evening of March 13.
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| Every March, the mountains and forests of Dien Bien Province don a pristine white hue from the delicate and pure ‘ban’ (bauhinia) flowers |
The opening ceremony will feature an art programme highlighting the harmony of the land, people, and culture of Dien Bien — a place with rich history, cultural colours, and majestic natural scenery.
The programme includes an incense offering at the Dien Bien Phu Martyrs’ Temple, an opening ceremony with an artistic performance and fireworks display, a folk singing and dance festival, and reenactments of ethnic rituals. Traditional sports competitions such as tug-of-war, crossbow shooting, and rice pounding will also take place.
A highlight is the 2025 Ban Flower Beauty Contest, showcasing the elegance of young women from the locality and the region. Other activities include a street parade themed “Colours of Dien Bien”, a cultural space exhibition, and a press trip introducing local tourism products.
Additionally, the national stick-pushing and tug-of-war championships will be held in March in Dien Bien Phu City, along with other cultural celebrations such as the Thanh Ban Phu Festival and the Bun Huot Nam water-splashing festival in April.
An outdoor show themed ‘The Legend of U Va will be launched in U Va Hamlet, Noong Luong Commune, Dien Bien District. Lasting nearly 40 minutes, the show reproduces historical legends about the land, people, and unique folk dances of the Thai ethnic minority group in U Va Hamlet in particular and Dien Bien Province in general.
Within the framework of the Bauhinia Flower Festival 2025, a cultural space will be set up for tourists to experience the unique culture of ethnic groups such as the Thai, Mong, Si La, Cong, Lao, Xa Phang, and Khmu.
Vice Chairman Vu A Bang affirmed that the Bauhinia Flower Festival aims to preserve cultural heritage, strengthen ethnic unity, and position Dien Bien as an attractive tourism destination
It is also among joint effort made by the Party Committee, authorities, and people of Dien Bien to develop the province into a cultural and tourism centre in the Northwest, and a tourist attraction during the dreamy flower blooming seasons in the Northwest route.
