Local people perform "xoe" dance, which is significant to Thai people, at the Muong Lo festival last year. (Photo: Le Hai Yen)

The highlight of the festival will be the opening ceremony program called “Quintessence from legend” which strongly embraces the cultural identity of various ethnic groups in the northwestern region. A massive xoe dance performance involving thousands of local ethnic people from Nghia Lo township and Van Chan district will form the shape of a ban flower and a terraced field. Hoang Thi Nam of Nghia Lo township will be one of the dancers: “I participate in the dance performance every year because I love xoe dance. Local people are busy but everyone tries to make time to participate in the dance event because they all love xoe.”

A street carnival will take place at the festival for the first time drawing ethnic people from 9 districts and towns in Yen Bai. Its aim is to introduce and promotes local intangible cultural heritages.

The festival will also include exhibitions featuring local landscapes, people, and tourism potential, a Tu Le young green rice festival, trips to Ta Xua, and a paragliding festival called “Flying over yellow season”. A member of the Vietwings Club of Hanoi which has participated in previous paragliding events, said: “It’s really interesting. We take off from a hill and land in a field which is very beautiful during the harvest season. I have gone paragliding in several areas but the landscape here is the most beautiful.”

Visitors will have a chance to taste northwestern food specialties and take a tour to explore Yen Bai’s landscape and communities.