Overview of the Hop Thanh Rice Flake Festival 2025.
Attending the opening ceremony were Comrade Hoang Giang - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Comrade Giang Thi Dung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the province; along with representatives from the Department of Ethnic Cultures of Vietnam (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism); leaders of several provincial departments and agencies; leaders of communes and wards in the province; and local people and tourists from all over.
Delegates, tourists, and local people participate in the Hop Thanh Rice Flake Festival.
The "Tỏn Khảu mău" ceremony - offering new rice.
Amidst the vibrant atmosphere of the golden harvest season in the highlands, the festival begins with the ritual of offering new rice – a distinctive cultural feature of the Tay ethnic group, expressing gratitude to heaven and earth, and the god of agriculture after a bountiful harvest.
The festival begins with the ritual of offering new rice, presenting gifts to the gods and ancestors.
Following the solemn ceremony, the festive atmosphere continued to explode with vibrant activities, including a series of unique cultural, artistic, and sporting events. Highlights included the "Conquering Nam Ria Waterfall - The Road to the Golden Season" mountain climbing competition, the traditional rice pounding contest, the "Flavors of the Highlands" culinary competition, and a diverse exhibition space showcasing local culture and a rich trade fair.
In addition, visitors can immerse themselves in folk games, traditional sports competitions, and cultural performances rich in ethnic identity, all creating a vibrant, joyful, and colorful festival atmosphere in the highlands.
The Hop Thanh Rice Flake Festival features a rich and vibrant series of activities.
Ms. Sam Thi Lien, Secretary of the Party Branch of Cang 2 village, Hop Thanh commune, expressed her joy and excitement: "Coming to the rice flake festival, I am very happy and excited because so many tourists from near and far have come. Today, the villagers are dressed beautifully, and everyone is radiant and cheerful. I sincerely hope that the rice flake products of Hop Thanh commune will reach further and become more well-known to tourists from near and far. This year, Hop Thanh rice flakes have achieved OCOP 3-star standard, and next year we will strive to achieve OCOP 5-star standard, which will make the people even happier.”
As for Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhan, a tourist from Lao Cai ward, although she has visited Hop Thanh commune and participated in the sticky rice festival many times, this year's festival brought her many emotions. "We've been excited for days, and today we see so many tourists. I saw women carrying baskets of sticky rice weighing dozens of kilograms, and they were all gone in no time. Besides sticky rice, there are also many other beautiful, unique, and diverse agricultural products. I had to film it live so everyone could see how lively and culturally rich this festival is," Ms. Nhan shared.
For Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhan, a visitor from Lao Cai ward, although she has visited Hop Thanh commune and attended the Com Festival many times, this year's festival still brings her many special emotions.
Ms. Nhan shared excitedly: “We’ve been looking forward to this for days. Today, we arrived and saw so many tourists, it was so lively and bustling. Especially, the festival had a lot of sticky rice flakes, especially fragrant, delicious, and appealing. The women brought baskets of sticky rice flakes weighing dozens of kilograms, and they sold out in no time. It wasn’t just sticky rice flakes; there were also many other unique and diverse agricultural products. I had to film it live so everyone could see how lively and rich in cultural identity this festival is.”
More than just the simple account of a familiar tourist, Mrs. Nhan's sharing also reveals the growing appeal of the Hop Thanh Rice Flake Festival, where the fragrant aroma of rice flakes blends with the joy of reunion, creating a vibrant and heartwarming picture of highland culture.
Mr. Ngo Vu Quoc, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Hop Thanh commune, delivered the opening speech and beat the drum to officially open the festival.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Ngo Vu Quoc, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Hop Thanh commune, emphasized: “The Hop Thanh Rice Flake Festival is not only a cultural and spiritual festival with rituals of thanksgiving to heaven and earth, but also an opportunity to honor a meaningful traditional craft that connects the community. Through the festival, the Organizing Committee hopes to promote the image of the homeland, the people, and the unique local products of Hop Thanh, gradually building the brand of rice flakes and local product chains associated with community tourism, while contributing to socio-economic development and improving the lives of the people.”
The Hop Thanh Rice Flake Festival 2025, taking place over two days (October 18-19), will feature activities such as experiencing rice flake making and traditional crafts of the Dao, Tay, Giay, Mong, and Xa Pho ethnic groups. Visitors can also check in at the vast rice fields, interspersed with terraced rice paddies winding around the picturesque hillsides, waterfalls, and mysterious primeval forests.
This is also an opportunity for tourists and locals to immerse themselves in the unique cultural space of the local ethnic groups, contributing to the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values, and affirming the correct direction of the locality in developing culture associated with tourism and the new rural economy.
Folk games and traditional sports are played with great enthusiasm.
The closing ceremony of the Hop Thanh Rice Flake Festival will take place tonight (October 19th), promising visitors a vibrant night of cultural festivities. The highlight of the program is a performance showcasing the traditional costumes of various ethnic groups, celebrating the diverse beauty and rich cultural identity of the highlands. This will be followed by the awards ceremony for the competition categories, recognizing the efforts and creativity of the participating teams. The evening will conclude with a circle dance around a crackling bonfire, where locals and visitors join hands in joyful camaraderie, imbued with the spirit of the mountainous region.
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/hop-thanh-vui-hoi-com-mua-thu-post884828.html
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