"To Ma Le", a folk game of Thai people (Photo: VNA)

– The second Thai Ethnic Culture Festival 2019 will take place in the northern province of Dien Bien from October 18-20, featuring the cultural identity of Thai ethnic minority people in Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Son La, Yen Bai and Thanh Hoa provinces.According to Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Dien Bien province Le Van Quy, the festival aims to strengthen national solidarity and honour the cultural values of Thai people nationwide.The festival is hoped to enhance awareness of State agencies and the community on preserving the cultural identities of Thai people and all ethnic groups of Vietnam, said Quy, who is also head of the steering committee for the festival.This is also a chance for participating provinces to introduce the culture of the Thai community in their locality to people in and outside Vietnam, promoting the development of tourism, especially community-based and cultural tourism.The opening ceremony of the festival will take place in the night of October 18and be broadcast live on the Vietnam Television, the Voice of Vietnam as well as TV channels of Dien Bien and some other provinces and cities.Various activities will be held throughout the festival, including Thai costume and art performance, Thai people’s craft product exhibition, tourism promotion and folk games of Thai people.Pham Viet Dung, Director of the Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism of Dien Bien , said this is the first time the province has hosted the festival.Dien Bien hopes to give visitors an in-depth insight into the culture of the Thai community in the province, especially the traditional “xoe” dance which has been recognised as national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, he said./.