The Miền Đồi terraced fields stretch across the hillsides in Thượng Cốc Commune. — VNA/VNS Photo

PHÚ THỌ — Golden terraced rice fields and distinctive Mường cultural activities drew thousands of visitors to the 2026 Miền Đồi terraced field festival, held in Thượng Cốc Commune, Phú Thọ Province, on October 25.

Organised by the Thượng Cốc Commune People’s Committee, the festival featured cultural and sporting activities amid ripe rice fields, highlighting the area’s potential for sustainable ecotourism.

The festival helps promote the area’s natural beauty, Mường cultural identity and local agricultural products, while linking heritage preservation with tourism development to improve residents’ livelihoods.

Bùi Mạnh Cường, vice chairman of the Thượng Cốc People’s Committee, said the event honours the generations who created the terraced fields and reflects the commune’s strategy of making heritage-based tourism a key economic driver, helping boost local incomes and build a distinctive, safe and welcoming destination.

The ripe rice fields stretching along the hillsides form a distinctive landscape, where winding terraces blend with surrounding mountains and forests and the traditional way of life of the Mường community.

Nguyễn Thu Trang, a visitor from Quảng Ninh Province, came with friends to experience the harvest season and capture the scenery. She said the group was impressed by the fields’ unspoilt beauty, the golden rice covering the hillsides and the fresh, cool air. They took photographs to preserve their memories and hoped to share the destination with friends and family.

A highlight of the festival was the new rice ceremony, which reflects the Mường people’s agricultural beliefs and gratitude to nature, ancestors and sacred beings for a favourable harvest. The ritual also conveys wishes for a prosperous and peaceful life.

Other activities included folk games, folk performances and community singing and dancing. Performances of the traditional thường rang and bộ mẹng folk melodies, among others, introduced visitors to the rich spiritual life of the local community and gave artisans opportunities to share cultural traditions with young people.

Stalls displaying One Commune One Product (OCOP) items and local agricultural produce allowed visitors to explore and purchase distinctive products from Miền Đồi. Combining product promotion with tourism activities is expected to expand markets for local farm produce and create further economic development opportunities for local residents.

Notably, the golden terraces remain the festival’s main attraction, reflecting not only the area’s natural beauty but also generations of labour, farming practices and the close bond between local people, their land and rice cultivation. They offer valuable potential for sightseeing, nature-based experiences and exploration of community culture. — VNA/VNS