Attractive traditional bullfighting festival in Dien Bien Dong district

On February 11 (the 2nd day of the Lunar New Year), Dien Bien Dong district, Dien Bien province held the opening ceremony of the 2024 Lunar New Year festival.

On the opening day, the opening event was the 8th traditional bullfighting festival. Formed long ago in the festivals of the ethnic communities in the area, however, in recent years, the bullfighting festival has only received real attention, focus and preservation.

Attractive competition questions of Dien Bien district media department, shape 1 — Pairs of bulls compete enthusiastically. Photo: V. Loi

In 2024, the bullfighting festival continues to attract a large number of people and tourists. According to the Organizing Committee, this year's traditional bullfighting festival has 74 fighting bulls from owners from communes in Dien Bien Dong district, Dien Bien district and Son La province. The number of people coming to watch and cheer on the competition is estimated at about 20,000 people.

From early morning, many ethnic people in traditional costumes gathered at the center of Dien Bien Dong district to participate in and watch bullfighting and traditional games. The bull owners participating in the competition had been present many days in advance to let their bulls get used to the arena.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Tang, Vice Chairman of Dien Bien Dong District People's Committee, to facilitate the cow owners to participate in the competition, in addition to the prize money, the locality has supported the transportation cost of cows to encourage people to participate in the competition next year. From there, continue to make the bull fighting competition a unique cultural feature of the locality in the early spring.

Attractive competition questions of Dien Bien district media department 2 — Thousands of people came to watch and cheer. Photo: T. Dung

In addition to bullfighting, this year's spring festival also has many activities with attractive traditional folk games such as ethnic costume competitions, Mong flute performances, Chung cake wrapping, and Day cake pounding; space to display ethnic cultures; space for tourists to take souvenir photos; folk song and dance exchanges; traditional sports exchanges, folk games...

The bullfighting competition in the early spring of the new year has become a cultural beauty of the ethnic communities living in the mountainous district of Dien Bien Dong. The competition not only honors good cow-raising households but also creates conditions for cow-raising households in the area to exchange, meet, share techniques and experiences in cow raising, encouraging people to enthusiastically work in production, raise animals, and develop the economy to reduce poverty quickly and sustainably.