Mu Cang Chai terraced field festival to open on Sept 25

The Muong Lo Tourism-Culture Week and the Mu Cang Chai Terraced Field Festival will take place in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai on September 21-25.

Xoe dance performance in the Muong Lo Tourism-Culture Week 2017. (Source: VNA)

According to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Duong Van Tien, the events are held annually, aiming to introduce the locality’s culture and tourism products to attract more domestic and foreign visitors.

The activities have enhanced tourism ties between Yen Bai and adjacent localities, further promoting the localities’ people and cultures, he noted.

Tien said many activities will be arranged in the week, including art performances, exhibitions, a Muong Lo cake festival, Miss Muong Lo contest, performances of traditional games and tours for holidaymakers.

Notably, the “Yen Bai - Heritage journey” programme will be attended by several famous people and a car show which will feature nearly 100 pick-up trucks will be highlights of the events.

Meanwhile, the Mu Cang Chai Terraced Field Festival will also feature various activities, incusing a Khen Mong contest, a goat fight competition, community tourism activities and a photo exhibition on terraced paddy fields by domestic famous photographers.

Additionally, as part of the festival, the 5^th paragliding festival themed “Flying in the yellow season” will return to Yen Bai from September 21 to 23.

Paragliding performance. (Source: the organisation board)

It expects to attract 200 Vietnamese and foreign pilots, along with 150 tourists joining the paragliders in flight.

Tien expressed his hope that media agencies will promote Yen Bai’s land and people, and tourism strengths of the locality to help the locality attract more tourists.

Mu Cang Chai has 500 hectares of rice terraces in La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh communes in Mu Cang Chai district, cultivated by the H'mong people for centuries. The local terraces are among the 2,500 hectares recognised as national heritage sites in 2007 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The locality is about 1,000 metres above sea level, making it impossible to grow rice the same way as in deltas. Local residents grow rice in terraced fields to stop water flowing downhill.

Terraced fields in Mu Cang Chai are beautiful year round. Visitors in March can see glittering ponds before locals transplant rice seedlings from April to May. After May, the hills are covered in green until the fields start to turn yellow with ripe rice in early September.

During the harvest in October, the golden rice fields stand out amidst green forests./.

VNF/VNA