The opening ceremony featured performances by professional artists and local artisans, blending traditional culture with contemporary art to showcase the landscapes, people and cultural identities of ethnic communities in Vietnam’s northernmost region.
Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Do Hung Duc said the theme “Am vang mien da” (Echoes of the Stone Plateau) conveys the resilience, determination and aspiration for progress of local ethnic communities.
He stressed that the festival not only celebrates the beauty of buckwheat flowers but also helps preserve traditional cultural values and promote tourism linked to heritage conservation.
He called for stronger efforts to protect cultural heritage, natural landscapes and the UNESCO Global Geopark of the Dong Van Karst Plateau, while improving tourism products and services and strengthening cooperation among local authorities, businesses and communities.
Tourism development should go hand in hand with environmental protection, cultural preservation and improved livelihoods for local residents, Duc said.
A range of cultural, tourism, trade promotion and community activities have been arranged for this year’s festival. Highlights include the Lo Lo Ethnic Culture Festival, a cultural gathering of ethnic groups in Lung Tam commune, and exhibitions of products under the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) programme, local agricultural produce and regional specialties.
The second “Spirit of the Stone” rock music show is scheduled for October 31 in the geopark area.
From October through December, visitors can enjoy community-based tourism, folk games, traditional crafts such as linen weaving, indigo dyeing, embroidery, blacksmithing and basket weaving, as well as local cuisine and buckwheat cake-making experiences./.
