Opening of Thatluang Festival - Laos's biggest cultural and religious event

On November 1, in the capital Vientiane, the Thatluang Festival 2025 officially opened. This is an annual event and the largest religious festival in the cultural and spiritual life of the Lao people.

Attending the opening ceremony were Deputy Prime Minister of Laos Kikeo Khaykhamphithoun, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Minh Tam, along with many ambassadors, consuls, representatives of diplomatic agencies and international organizations in Laos.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Khaykhamphithoun said that the Thatluang Festival is a long-standing tradition, showing respect for Buddha and the solidarity of the Lao people; at the same time, it also has the meaning of connecting the community and arousing national pride.

Deputy Prime Minister Khaykhamphithoun emphasized that this is also an opportunity to promote the image of Laos as a peaceful, hospitable country with rich cultural traditions to international friends, while attracting domestic and foreign tourists to visit tourist attractions in the capital Vientiane in particular and throughout Laos in general.

The festival opens a series of cultural and religious activities lasting five days, including Buddhist rituals, solemnly organized processions and offerings, and many community activities imbued with national identity.

In addition, every evening there are art performances to honor cultural values and promote the image of the friendly and hospitable capital Vientiane.

Thatluang Festival - the biggest cultural and religious event in Laos. (Photo: Xuan Tu/VNA)

Within the framework of the festival, exhibitions and displays will introduce the formation and development process of the capital Vientiane, along with many film screenings, martial arts performances and folk sports competitions to welcome the Lao National Sports Festival.

The trade fair took place in parallel at the Thatluang area and the Lao Exhibition Center-ITECC, with many booths displaying tourism products, handicrafts, “One District One Product” (ODOP) products, domestic consumer goods and goods from countries such as Vietnam, China and many other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The food court serves many traditional dishes that contribute to creating a vibrant festival atmosphere imbued with Lao identity.

Thatluang Festival 2025 will end on the night of November 5./.