The northwestern province of Dien Bien is gearing up for the Ban (Bauhinia variegate) Flower Festival, which is scheduled to take place from March 11-14, 2017.
A myriad of activities will be featured during the event such as exhibitions of ethnic groups’ culture, rituals, traditional music performance shows, books, and tourism products, in addition to sports competitions and folk games. Particularly, a Miss Ban Flower contest will see the participation of contestants from eight northwestern provinces, namely Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Son La, Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Phu Tho, and Ha Giang. The festival was first held in 2014 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory. The annual event aims to promote the unique culture of ethnic groups in Dien Bien and develop the locality into a national key tourism attraction in the years to come. The white and purple Ban flower, scientifically known as Bauhinia Variegata, is typical to the northern mountainous region of Vietnam and often in blossom in spring.
