The 2019 Ban Flower Festival officially opened in Dien Bien province on March 16 to celebrate a series of anniversaries and attract visitors, Vietnam News Agency reported.

The annual festival, which takes place from March 13 to 18, aims to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the glorious Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2019), the 110th anniversary of the establishment of Dien Bien province (June 28, 1909 - June 28, 2019 ), and 70 years of the establishment of the provincial Party Committee (October 10, 1949 - October 10, 2019).

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam said Dien Bien in particular and Northwest Vietnam in general need to have a large investment program and project to upgrade the transport infrastructure and attract investment in famous tourist sites.

In addition, the province needs to focus on developing community tourism based on conserving and promoting the unique cultural heritage and the landscape and protecting the environment, he added.

According to Chairman of Dien Bien province People’s Committee Mua A Son, the festival is held in mid-March annually coinciding with the anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu campaign, a glorious milestone in Vietnam’s history of national construction and defense. The festival aims to honor and protect cultural heritages and introduce Dien Bien Phu land and people to domestic and foreign friends and visitors so as to promote local tourism.

The annual festival features many kinds of cultural activities, including a book and photo exhibition on traditional culture of Dien Bien’s ethnic groups. The event is expected to go along with a series of art performances including folk singing and dancing.

A beauty contest, the Miss Hoa Ban, will also be held with the participation of candidates from eight northern and northwestern provinces of Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Son La, Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Phu Tho and Ha Giang with a parade of  traditional costumes.

The first Ban Flower Festival was held in Dien Bien province in 2014.

After five years, it has now become the unique historical cultural and tourism brand of the land which witnessed the Dien Bien Phu Victory over French invaders.

Hanoitimes