Ban Gioc Waterfall.
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Ban Gioc Waterfall is one of Vietnam’s most impressive natural sights. Thirty metres high and 300 metres across, it is the widest, but not the highest, in the country. The falls occur on the beautiful jade-blue water of the Quay Son River as it flows through a pastoral landscape of rice fields and bamboo groves, surrounded by limestone mountains.
The festival will begin on Saturday with a Buddhist prayer ritual for peace and prosperity of the nation at the Phat Tich Ban Gioc Truc Lam Pagoda. The ceremony will be conducted by monks of the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam.
This will be followed by an agenda full of activities near the falls. This will showcase the rich culture of the region, especially of the prominent Tay ethnic group. The activities will include traditional art performances, an ethnic costume fashion show, folk games and sports competitions. A cooking contest of local specialties will also be held.
Of note will be a performance of a style of singing known as then, a unique art of the ethnic Tay, Nung, and Thai minorities in Vietnam’s northwestern region. This has been recognised as national intangible cultural heritage.
The agenda will also include a cultural exchange programme between Trung Khanh Commune and two Chinese border communes. The event aims to strengthen the mutual understanding and friendship between people of the two countries’ border communes.
