Published:  16:11 Wednesday - March 15, 2017

A ceremony was held in Dien Bien Phu City, the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien on March 12 to open the 2017 local Ban (Bauhinia) Flower Festival and the fifth Culture – Sports – Tourism Festival.

The event saw the presence of Chairwoman of National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

At the opening ceremony, an arts programme was held, featuring numerous cultural and arts performances imbued with cultural and historical identities of Dien Bien province.

In addition, 30 contestants who will compete at the final round of a beauty contest for women from eight north-western provinces performed, leaving a strong impression on the audience.

Initiated in 2014, the Ban Flower Festival has become a major tourism event of Dien Bien province aiming to introduce the beauty of the local land and people as well as promote and preserve the traditional identities of the 19 ethnic minority groups present in the province.

The three-day festivals will feature a wide variety of cultural and arts events including the reproduction of traditional festivals and folk rituals of ethnic minority groups; performances of folk songs, dances and musical instruments; and exhibitions of books, photos and souvenirs on north-western localities.

Sports activities, such as a volleyball tournament, a cross-country run and various folk games will also be held, attracting a large number of visitors to the province.

A firework display closed the opening ceremony and opened-up a festive season along with a number of unique activities.