Stepping into the Northwest highlands, you will be charmed by the raw beauty of rolling hillsides and terraced farmland. It is not only a stunning natural setting, but also a rare opportunity to learn about ethnic minorities’ unique cultures. Let SBS guide you to these fantastic discoveries!
The Thai Ethnic Groups Mountain Ebony Festival
During the second lunar month, the Northwest highlands greet tourists with a stunning display of white mountain ebony flowering throughout the mountains and woods. The Mountain Ebony Festival, also known as the Xen Muong Festival, is a great place to learn about local culture and tourism. Visitors to the event will experience the harmonic space between humans and environment, participate in community life, and admire the unique beauty of mountain ebony. The festival is both a cultural event and a significant and fulfilling vacation experience, providing wonderful memories.
Provinces and localities hosting Ban Flower Festivals: Dien Bien, Son La, and Yen Bai provinces
Organizing time: March annually.
The Tay and Dao Ethnic Groups’ Spring Rice Planting Festival
On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, attend the Spring Rice Planting Festival, a Tay and Dao community ritual in Sapa’s highlands. The event is distinguished by its spiritual ceremony, which includes a land procession, a water procession, a worship ceremony, and field plowing, presenting an amazing spiritual image from early morning. The festival draws people with its distinctive musical performances and traditional sports such as shuttlecock tossing, stick pushing, tug of war, spinning, and a variety of other enjoyable pastimes. The festival is not only a cultural event, but it also allows you to feel the joy and excitement of a new year in Sapa.
Festival organization area: Thai Nguyen province
Organizing time: January 8 of the lunar calendar every year
Festival organization area: Thai Nguyen province
Organizing time: January 8 of the lunar calendar every year
The Ban Muong Prayer for Peace Festival
The Ban Muong Prayer for Peace Festival is a unique tourism experience in the Northwest highlands, taking place at the end of January and beginning of February according to the lunar calendar. The event is not only an occasion to express the Ban Muong community’s material and spiritual lives, but also to connect with the harvest and the new year’s progress. Celebrated seriously and joyfully, the event draws a significant number of locals and creates a dynamic environment with numerous unique activities such as worship ceremonies, communal meals, and games. traditional. This is not just a cultural event, but also a voyage near to the Thai people’s customs and profound beliefs, producing a cheerful and tranquil environment for visitors.
Organization area: Mai Chau in Hoa Binh Province, Thuan Chau and Moc Chau in Son La Province
Organizing time: Late January, or early February of the lunar calendar every year
Long Tong Festival
The Long Tong Festival of the Tay ethnic group in the Northwest is an important traditional event that takes place on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. The purpose is to pray for healthy crops. The celebration is well-organized, and each home is tastefully adorned. The event starts with a procession of Shennong and City God, followed by a lively festival with cultural acts and traditional activities. The celebration provides guests with a rare opportunity to witness the Tay people’s pleasure and camaraderie.
Organization area: Bo Lu Village, Nam Mau Commune, Ba Be District, Bac Kan Province
Organizing time: January 10 of the lunar calendar every year
The Roóng Poọc Festival of the Giay Ta Van Ethnic Group
The Giay people’s Roong Pooc Festival is an important traditional celebration that not only prays for rain and flourishing harvests, but also brings the community together and creates a dynamic and pleasant atmosphere. The celebration, which takes place in a field beside the Muong Hoa stream, is carefully planned by nobles and monks. The rite includes a sun-ring bridge and a prayer for a sustained harvest. The event then begins with drum and gong music and a variety of interesting folk activities, including plowing, shuttlecock throwing, and swing competitions. The festival is not simply a cultural event, but also a spiritual and mystical experience that draws tourists from all around the world to investigate and enjoy.
Organization area: Ta Van Commune, Sapa District, Lao Cai Province
Organizing time: January 4 of the lunar calendar every year
