Tuesday, 06/10/2026

Tuesday, 06/10/2026

Year-end festivities bring early Tet to highland communities in Dien Bien

Sunday, 19:13, 28/12/2025

VOV.VN - A festive atmosphere spread across highland communes in northern Dien Bien province on December 27-28, as many localities simultaneously held the first Ethnic Cultural Festival in 2025, with residents welcoming early Tet (Lunar New Year festival)

At Sam Mun commune, the first Ethnic Cultural Festival is held on the morning of December 28 in a festive atmosphere, drawing large numbers of local residents from surrounding villages and visitors.

In the year’s final days, as farm work eases, people from the Kinh, Thai and Mong ethnic groups don their colourful traditional attire and take part in cultural and sporting activities and folk games, creating a warm, and joyful festival atmosphere.

Mong girls wear colourful traditional costumes as they join the festival celebrations.

Throughout the festival, a range of hands-on activities rich in local identity takes place, including visits to exhibition booths featuring cultural tourism and traditional handicraft products.

In particular, the recreation of Mong cultural spaces with traditional rituals, alongside Thai cultural settings, offers residents and visitors authentic, vivid experiences that reflect the distinctive character of the highlands.

A cow fighting contest at the first Ethnic Cultural Festival in Sam Mun commune

This helps residents and visitors gain a deeper understanding of the distinctive cultural features of Dien Bien’s highland area.

At the same time, on the morning of December 27, the first Ethnic Cultural Festival of Tia Dinh commune in 2025 officially opens at the commune stadium, drawing enthusiastic participation from local residents.

As part of the festival, a broad array of cultural and sporting activities and traditional folk games, including cow fighting, tug of war, con throwing, pa pao throwing and khen dancing, are held, drawing strong participation and enthusiastic support from local residents.

These activities bring joy and excitement to local residents and create a vivid picture of grassroots cultural life.

From early morning, villages buzz with laughter, the sound of khèn pipes and drums, creating a festive atmosphere like an “early Tet” in the highlands.

Beyond serving as a cultural gathering, the festival provides an opportunity to pass on traditional customs and practices to younger generations, helping preserve cultural continuity within the community.

Bright smiles and tightly linked hands in community dances vividly express the joy and pride of local people in preserving and honouring their ethnic cultural heritage.

According to the organisers, the festival brings together thousands of artisans, performers and athletes from 20 villages, representing the Mong, Thai and Lao ethnic groups.

These year-end activities have become a vivid highlight of the spiritual life of highland communities in Dien Bien, bringing joy, a sense of togetherness and an upbeat mood ahead of the new year. They also help promote the image of the local land and people, thus laying a foundation for tourism development linked with the preservation of traditional culture.

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