Ha Giang set to host buckwheat flower festival

                                                                Photos: Duc Anh

Festival to be held from October 14 in recognition of buckwheat flowers and the province's stunning karst plateau.

A buckwheat flower festival will be held for the second time in northern mountainous Ha Giang province from October 14 to 16.

The official opening ceremony is at 8pm on October 15, honoring the beauty of buckwheat flowers, a typical feature of the province, as well as its majestic karst plateau.

The Organizing Board said the main activities of the festival will be held in Dong Van district, such as the opening ceremony of the Dong Van Old Quarter, which is about 100 years old, a street festival, a night market, and tourism promotions. Other activities within the festival will also take place in Quan Ba, Yen Minh and Meo Vac districts.

Since September the four districts have planted over 800 ha of buckwheat flowers. Dong Van district, the heart of the festival, has up to 500 ha of buckwheat trees in the center of the district and along its roads.

Cultural activities will include a buckwheat flower wine festival at night, folk music, a show featuring traditional dress worn by ethnic minorities in the province, and a photo exhibition of buckwheat flowers.

Restaurants and hotels in the province, especially where there are the most buckwheat flowers, such as in Dong Van and Meo Vac, are ready to welcome tourists. Local authorities have also prepared tents in case tourist numbers exceed accommodation supply and some villages are also ready to provide homestay services.

The province has made detailed plans to ensure security amid the surge in tourist arrivals and has improved the quality of roads to tourism destinations such as the palace of the H’mong King in Sa Phin valley in Dong Van district, the Lung Cu flagpole, about 24 km from the center of Dong Van, and limestone attractions in Dong Van.

VNPT has installed free wi-fi in the four districts, especially at tourism destinations such as Ma Pi Leng, the night market in Meo Vac, Lung Cu flagpole, the H’mong King palace, and the Dong Van Old Quarter. Each wi-fi spot gives 1,200 people access at the same time.

Ha Giang province, whose population of 800,000 is 90 per cent ethnic minority, has an area of 7,946 sq km. Tourism is expected to be a key sector by 2020 for socio-economic development and by 2030 Ha Giang is to be an important tourism destination in Vietnam.

by Luong Nhi / vneconomictimes