LÀO CAI — The Sông Hồng (Red River) Festival 2024 will be held from September to November in the northern mountainous province of Lào Cai.

The festival themed Nơi Con Sông Hồng Chảy Vào Đất Việt (Where the Red River flows into Việt Nam) will include participation of a delegation from Yunnan Province from China and provinces along the river.

The event will be centred in Lào Cai City, Bát Xát District, and many cultural and tourism activities will take place in other places like Sa Pa and Bắc Hà District.

Locals at Mây Village, Sa Pa, introduce ethnic costumes. — VNA/VNS Photo Quốc Khánh

It will feature cultural and art exchange programmes between Việt Nam and China, along with performances and exhibitions from other provinces in the North.

Visitors can experience the cultural and culinary uniqueness of ethnic groups living in Lào Cai Province, provinces along the Red River in Việt Nam and Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan, China. There will be exhibitions of captivating photographs, stories and artefacts about Lào Cai and the Red River.

To further strengthen the relationship between China and Việt Nam, there will be special sporting events including the marathon 'Friendship Road' from Lào Cai Province to Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, the international bicycle race 'One Track - Two Countries' and the Lào Cai Provincial Open Golf Championship 2024.

Part of the festival will also be an international conference 'Solutions to promote cooperation and development between the Red River provinces - Việt Nam and Yunnan Province - China' to encourage business partnerships and a competition about composing theme songs about the Red River.

The Red River Festival aims to demonstrate the strategic position of Lào Cai Province, linking the history of the civilisation of the Red River with the province, promoting its potential and strengths in terms of economic, cultural and social development.

The Hồng (Red) River, which is over 1,100 kilometres long, originates in China and flows through Việt Nam.

The river section that flows through Việt Nam is about 510 kilometres long, flowing across ten northern provinces, where agriculture plays an important role in the country's economy. The Red River has three tributaries in Việt Nam – the Đà, Lô and Thao rivers.

The festival is always a popular tourist attraction, bustling with weekend campers and visiting cruise ships.

Along the Red (Hồng) River, tourists can enjoy the fresh open air with views of the fields of sugarcane and maize along the river banks. — VNS