The third Cultural, Sports and Tourism Exchange Festival for Vietnam – Laos border areas is scheduled to take place in Dien Bien Phu City, in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien this September.
At the second Cultural, Sports and Tourism Exchange Festival for Vietnam - Laos border areas in Son La in 2017. (Photo: qdnd.vn)
The event is a political and cultural event of great significance in celebrating the 60th anniversary of Vietnam – Laos diplomatic ties (September 5) and the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation (July 18).
The festival will draw the participation of 2,500 people from nine Vietnamese provinces of Dien Bien, Quang Tri, Quang Binh, Son La, Thua Thien – Hue, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Nam and Kon Tum, along with ten provinces from Laos which share the borderline with Vietnam including Luang Prabang, Houaphanh, Attapeu, Sekong, Xiangkhouang, Bolikhamsai, Khammouane, Savannakhet, Saravane and Phongsali.
The festival will feature a wide variety of cultural, sports and tourism activities including the reproduction of traditional festivals and cultural rituals, a show of traditional costumes, an exhibition promoting cultural and tourism products, the land and people and the socio-economic achievements of the localities, art programmes highlighting Vietnam – Laos friendship, an exhibition introducing the ethnic minority groups in the borders areas between Vietnam and Laos, competitions of traditional sports, field trips and seminars on tourism development.
The Cultural, Sports and Tourism Exchange Festival for Vietnam – Laos border areas is expected to contribute to enhancing the long-standing friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
This will be an opportunity to promote the potential and strengths of the ethnic minority groups to domestic and international friends while raising public awareness of developing Vietnamese culture.