A peach-growing area in Lạng Sơn Province bursts into bloom during the spring festival season. — Photo baotintuc.vn

HÀ NỘI — When peach blossoms burst into bloom across the northeastern highlands, Lạng Sơn Province (traditionally known as Xứ Lạng) ushers in spring with the Peach Blossom Festival, held alongside a series of events celebrating the Party and the Lunar New Year. 

The festival highlights the cultural identity of Việt Nam’s border region while promoting the province’s image to visitors near and far.

Running from January 1 to March 16, the festival is held to mark the 96th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Việt Nam while honouring the symbolic value of Lạng Sơn peach trees – long associated with springtime, vitality and the traditional beauty of the country’s northern frontier.

A key highlight of the festival will be the official opening ceremony, scheduled for the evening of February 7 on Hùng Vương Street in Lương Văn Tri Ward. The live televised event will feature performances by both central and local artists, promising to bring the joyful spirit of spring to audiences across the province and beyond.

Throughout the festival, a wide range of cultural, sporting and tourism activities will take place, including spring flower street decorations and promotional spaces dedicated to Lạng Sơn peach blossoms; competitions and exhibitions showcasing the province’s most beautiful peach trees; peach blossom fairs combined with sightseeing and experiential tours; the Peach Blossom Route run; and a peach blossom painting contest.

The programme also features a rich lineup of other cultural and artistic activities. 

These include film screenings celebrating the Party and spring; a campaign encouraging the wearing of traditional ethnic costumes in Lạng Sơn; a thematic exhibition titled Cultural Heritage of the UNESCO Lạng Sơn Global Geopark; the 2026 Spring Press Festival; Nguyên Tiêu Poetry Day; Then, Sli and Lượn folk singing festivals and the Lày cỏ contest; an expanded Lạng Sơn chầu văn performance festival; a Lion–Dragon Dance Club competition; the art programme 'Sounds of Xứ Lạng'; and cultural exchanges with the Pingxiang Art Troupe from Guangxi, China.

The festival is also closely linked with tourism promotion activities, including exhibitions showcasing Lạng Sơn’s tourism potential, the thematic Springtime Reading Day event, the Xứ Lạng Culinary Festival, the fourth Kỳ Cùng River raft racing festival, the Kỳ Cùng–Tả Phủ Temple Festival and other local traditional festivals.

Through the Peach Blossom Festival of Xứ Lạng in the Year of the Horse, Lạng Sơn aims to create a culturally rich tourism space that reflects local identity, promotes the land and people of Xứ Lạng and boosts tourism, services and socio-economic development – positioning the festival as a signature springtime rendezvous connecting regions far and wide. — VNS