The cherry blossom festival will return to Pa Khoang commune, Dien Bien district, the northwestern province of Dien Bien for the second time from January 11 – 13, 2019.

Visitors enjoy cherry blossom in Pa Khoang, Dien Bien. (Photo:
VNA)
A series of cultural events will be held during the festival which
was launched in 2018 to lure more visitors to Hoa Island in Pa Khoang commune
to enjoy beautiful cherry blossom. They will include an exhibition of local
distinctive culture, community activities and folk games of mountain tribes,
agricultural market of the ethnic locals and a space for displaying traditional
cuisine of the northwestern region.
Visitors to the festival will also have a chance to explore Japanese tea
ceremony, Japanese rice wine Sake and Mong Pe, an aromatic wine of Vietnam’s
northwestern region distilled from maize fermented with a special forest
leaves.
The People’s Committee of Dien Bien district, the organizer of the festival,
expects that the number of cherry trees in full bloom at the time when the
festival takes place will triple that of this year.
The festival is intended to promote the beauty of people and nature of Dien
Bien and foster the development of Pa Khoang – Muong Phang tourism complex as
the province sets to make Hoa Island a popular destination. Visitors to the
island during the festival will be offered free admission.
It also serves as a curtain raiser for the celebration of the 65th year of Dien
Bien Phu Victory and 110th founding anniversary of the province.
Residents of Dien Bien district refer to Hoa Island, which sits in the middle
of the district’s pristine Pa Khoang Lake, "the island of cherry blossom”.
There are about 1,000 cherry trees on the island, which bloom brilliantly
during spring (January to April). The trees, imported from Japan and grown
locally, are called "higan sakura” with "higan” a reference to a
spring Buddhist holiday celebrated by Japanese.
They were nurtured by Dr Tran Le, a Vietnamese scientist who specialises in
plant tissue culture. Le spent months wandering the country to find a suitable
place for the trees, after a Japanese friend had given him the seeds.
He found the island in 2006, where he successfully planted them. Out of the 10
initial seeds, eight survived and after eight years a large part of the
600ha-island is covered with "sakura” petals during spring.
The beautiful cherry blossom started attracting visitors in recent years.
Besides the trees, a large collection of exotic plants and flowers are gathered
from across the country on the island.
Source: VNA
Gongs hold a special place in the cultural and spiritual life of the Muong ethnic people in Hoa Binh province. More than musical instruments, they are an indispensable part of community rituals and collective memory, echoing through generations as a spiritual thread linking the past, present, and future.
Preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Muong ethnic group has become an urgent task in the current context, as many traditional values face the risk of fading away. This effort requires not only protecting the cultural identity but also eliminating outdated customs and developing a modern cultural lifestyle, contributing to sustainable values for the Muong community in Hoa Binh province.
The Muong ethnic culture, deeply rooted in Vietnam’s mountainous north, continues to be preserved and revitalised by dedicated individuals and communities determined to safeguard their ancestral identity.
The Muong group is one of the largest ethnic minorities in Vietnam, primarily found in Hoa Binh province. The Muong people in Hoa Binh boast a rich and diverse cultural treasure that reflects the unique identity of this ethnic group. Accounting for over 63% of the province's population, they have created and preserved numerous distinctive cultural values, contributing to their unique identity. Their cultural heritage is an invaluable asset, at the heart of their national identity, and represents a vibrant spiritual life that must be preserved and promoted in today’s modern world.
For generations, the ethnic communities of Hoa Binh province, particularly the Muong people, have preserved vibrant festivals deeply intertwined with the region’s geography, nature, and social traditions. These celebrations enrich Hoa Binh’s spiritual life and cultural identity, reflecting both folk beliefs and the intermingling of ethnic customs. Many of these festivals have endured the test of time, passed down through generations and continuing to thrive today. Among them, the Khai Ha (Going Down to the Field) festival stands out as one of the most significant events of the Muong ethnic group.
Muong calendar, known as sach doi, is an ancient folk knowledge system developed through observations of the movement of the pleiades star. This unique calendar consists of 12 bamboo sticks, each representing a lunar month. Specific days within each month are marked with distinct symbols, guiding locals in determining auspicious and inauspicious days for important activities.