by Huê Phong

A 60ha sunflower field in the central Nghệ An Province has become a tourism hotspot during the final months of this year.

Hundreds of young people--both province natives and visitors from around the country--flocked to the field for selfies, posing in costumes with professional photographers.

The beauty of the yellow sunflowers, which in bloom looks like the bright sun, is responsible for the surge in visitors to the cow-fed plant farm. A similar increase can be seen in the wide fields of buckwheat field in the country’s northern mountainous provinces, the wild sunflower fences in the villa-town of Dalat City or the mustard plantations in many localities.

Located in the province’s Nghĩa Đàn District, the plants were first sowed in 2010 by TH True Milk, a Vietnamese dairy producer, to feed its cows. Years later, the field has gained fame among youngsters for its unique beauty.

The field becomes a hot rendezvous site in late November, when the flowers are blooming and are at their maximum size. According to the field managers, blooming season arrived later this year, as sowing was delayed by 20 days.

The district authorities are holding a Sunflower Festival and a beauty contest for young girls posing with the flowers in late December. The three-day event will take place from the 25th to the 27th of this month.

The event will include a festive day designated for ethnic minority groups living in the mountainous areas of Nghệ An.

Critics, however, gave some negative comments to the organisation of the event, saying it was reasonable to use the sunflower field to attract young visitors but not to use it as a base for a large cultural festival.

Localities around the country are competing to hold cultural events or ‘festivals’ held in many places, despite the risk of failure and loss. — VNS