The ceremonial part of the Xip Xi Tet festival is held at the Nang Han Temple in Quynh Nhai commune.

Chieng Lao is a riverside area along the Da River, home to five ethnic groups: Thai, Mong, Khang, La Ha, and Kinh. It preserves many customs and traditions closely intertwined with nature. Recently, the commune has organized activities such as the Moss Harvesting Festival and the Green Market in Phieng Pha village, attracting a large number of locals and tourists. The festival recreates the traditional life of the ethnic groups along the Da River, showcasing local products, folk cuisine, traditional games, and unique folk songs, creating a vibrant and intimate experiential space.

Ms. Quàng Thị Nghiên, from Pá Hợp village, Chiềng Lao commune, said: "Previously, activities like harvesting moss and holding markets only took place in daily life. Now that they have become festivals, the people are very excited that familiar cultural traditions are becoming known to many people. My family participates in cooking dishes made from rock moss and selling local products, which both increases our income and allows us to proudly introduce our ethnic culture to tourists."

People participate in the moss-picking festival in Pá Hợp village, Chiềng Lao commune.

According to Mr. Vu Minh Thai, Chairman of the People's Committee of Chieng Lao commune, traditional festivals not only contribute to preserving cultural identity but also promote the image of the homeland, creating a foundation for the development of community tourism. In the future, the locality will continue to improve infrastructure and encourage people to participate in tourism associated with festivals and the landscape of the Da River reservoir area.

In Quynh Nhai, the Xip Xi Tet festival of the White Thai ethnic group is becoming an attractive cultural and tourist highlight. Held on the 14th day of the 7th lunar month every year, the Xip Xi Tet festival signifies gratitude to ancestors, prayers for bountiful harvests, and family peace. Within the festival space, traditional feasts, traditional dances, folk songs, and folk games are vividly recreated, attracting a large number of locals and tourists to participate and experience them.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy, a tourist from Hong Ha ward, Hanoi city, shared: "We came to Quynh Nhai for tourism during the local Xip Xi Tet festival, so we had the opportunity to directly participate in the festival, experience the Xoe dance, and enjoy traditional cuisine. This helped us understand more about the local culture and we hope to return to Son La in future festival seasons."

Locals and tourists participate in folk games at the "Green Market" in Phiêng Phả village, Chiềng Lao commune.

Currently, the entire province maintains and organizes hundreds of traditional festivals of various sizes annually, closely linked to the cultural life of ethnic minority communities. Through a system of more than 2,000 village and sub-district cultural centers, festivals are held right at the grassroots level, creating a space for communities to preserve customs and traditions and introduce local culture to tourists. By 2025, Son La is expected to welcome approximately 5.38 million tourists, demonstrating great potential in making traditional festivals a highlight of experiential tourism products.

However, for festivals to truly play a role in tourism development, their organization and exploitation need clear direction. Local authorities should select representative festivals, linked to community living spaces at local cultural centers; avoiding superficiality and formality, while ensuring the preservation of cultural identity and promoting the leading role of the people.

The teams participated in the Xip Xi Tet culinary competition of the White Thai ethnic group in Quynh Nhai commune.

Mr. Tran Xuan Viet, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Son La province, emphasized: Son La has a great advantage in the culture of its ethnic groups with many unique festivals. Preserving and promoting the value of traditional festivals needs to be linked to sustainable tourism development; exploitation should focus on maintaining the original identity, with the community as the main actors, while simultaneously building experiential tourism products that suit the needs of tourists.

When traditional festivals are organized systematically, linked to community living spaces and the experiential needs of tourists, long-standing cultural values ​​are not only preserved and promoted, but also become a resource for tourism development, contributing to socio-economic development and improving people's lives.

Text and photos: Minh Ngoc