With the goal of stimulating tourism demand, preserving and promoting ethnic cultural values, creating connections, strengthening cooperation, and promoting tourism among the expanded Northwest provinces and Ho Chi Minh City, the People’s Committee of Dien Bien province issued Plan No. 1706/KH-UBND on April 23rd, 2025, regarding the organization of the Northwest Quintessence Festival - Dien Bien 2025. Up to now, all preparation work is being carried out by agencies and units in accordance with the set plan.

Many unique cultural and festive activities of the Northwest ethnic groups will be recreated at the Northwest Quintessence Festival - Dien Bien 2025. In the photo: Preparations for the “Khu Su Cha” New Year of the Ha Nhi people (Dien Bien province).

The Northwest Quintessence Festival - Dien Bien 2025 will take place over 3 days, from September 19^th to 21^st, 2025, in Dien Bien Phu ward, Dien Bien province. The program promises to bring attractive experiences to visitors through distinctive local and regional products, along with unique and engaging cultural and artistic performances. Notably, at 20:10 on September 19, 2025, at Dien Bien provincial stadium, the opening art program of the Northwest Quintessence Festival - Dien Bien 2025 will be broadcast live on Dien Bien Newspaper’s television and radio. The opening program is elaborately staged, combining tradition and modernity, with the participation of artists and art troupes from many provinces and cities. Dien Bien has invited the Embassy of Japan, the Embassy of India, Luang Prabang province (Laos), and Chiang Mai province (Kingdom of Thailand) to participate. The symbolic artistic performances will recreate the natural beauty, heroic history, and rich cultural identity of the Northwest region. The highlight of the opening night will be an artistic fireworks display, kicking off a series of vibrant activities within the Festival.

A new feature of the Northwest Quintessence Festival - Dien Bien 2025 is the “Northwest Quintessence Festival” Street Festival, which will bring a colorful artistic space with parades, performances of folk songs and dances, traditional costumes, and folk crafts such as embroidery, brocade weaving, beeswax pattern making, and pounding sticky rice cakes. With the participation of 1,000 amateur performers, the street space will become an open stage where visitors and locals can directly interact, experience, and feel the depth of highland culture.

Staff of the Department of Propaganda, Film, and Exhibition under the Center for Culture and Cinema (Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism) are producing films and promotional clips about the Northwest Quintessence Festival - Dien Bien 2025.

In addition, within the framework of the Festival, there will be activities to showcase and promote tourism potential, tourism products, and specialties of the expanded Northwest provinces, such as: Conference on promotion, advertising, and development of Northwest - Ho Chi Minh City tourism; cultural exchange programs; exhibitions and presentations of unique tourist destinations from the expanded Northwest provinces, Ho Chi Minh City, as well as provinces, cities, and embassies of several countries in Hanoi and northern Laos; Northwest Culinary Festival with the participation of provinces, cities, restaurants, units, and businesses in the food service industry; and the photo exhibition “Colors of the Northwest.”

The Northwest Quintessence Festival - Dien Bien 2025 is a large-scale regional event and a highlight of 2025, aiming to further strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of tourism cooperation among the expanded Northwest provinces and Ho Chi Minh City. It contributes to promoting and efficiently exploiting the tourism potential and advantages of localities, gradually forming unique economic, cultural, and tourism products of the expanded Northwest provinces and Ho Chi Minh City on a regional and international scale. Through this, the unique “Northwest Quintessence” brand will be built, rich in identity, honoring the quintessence of the land, culture, and people of the ethnic groups in the expanded Northwest, to attract tourists. The event also strengthens linkages in tourism activities with regional-level cooperation programs and events, promoting connections and exchanges of tourist markets between provinces and cities.

Mr. Pham Van Thang, Head of the Tourism Management Division (Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism), said: Currently, preparations for the Northwest Quintessence Festival 2025 are being focused on and completed by relevant units and departments. The Department has submitted detailed program plans to the provincial People’s Committee. The provincial People’s Committee has directed the supervision and management of enterprises, restaurants, and tourist hotels in the area to improve service quality, control prices, ensure food safety and hygiene, and create a positive image for Dien Bien tourism.

The Northwest Quintessence Festival - Dien Bien 2025 promises to deliver impressive experiences through the unique and distinctive cultural features of the Northwest highland ethnic groups./.

Dien Bien Phu Newspaper Online