The Red River Festival 2025

The Red River Festival 2025 — held under the theme “Where the Red River Flows into Vietnam” — is a week-long cultural and tourism celebration hosted by Lào Cai Province from 18–24 November 2025. The festival brings together provinces and cities in the Red River basin and partners from Yunnan (China) to celebrate shared river heritage while boosting cultural exchange, cross-border cooperation and regional tourism development.

Time & Locations

The official program runs across a seven-day festival week (18–24 November 2025), with key opening and headline events staged at Dinh Lễ Square (Phường Lào Cai) and large public squares in Lào Cai city (including Nam Cường / Cam Đường). Other festival venues include the historic Cốc Lếu market area (recreated as “Chợ Cốc Lếu xưa”), the Kim Thành International Exhibition & Trade Center (for the Vietnam–China trade fair), and several venues around Lào Cai province such as the Sapa Grand Golf Course (for sporting events).

Purpose & Significance

The festival aims to: (1) showcase and preserve the living cultural heritage of the Red River basin, (2) promote Lào Cai as a cultural-tourism gateway linking northern Vietnam and Yunnan, (3) stimulate socio-economic development through tourism, trade and cross-border collaboration, and (4) raise public awareness of river basin conservation and the value of intangible cultural traditions. Organizers have positioned the event as a strategic step toward deeper regional cooperation and long-term tourism development for the Red River region.

Main Activities and Highlights

The festival program includes a rich mix of cultural, commercial and sporting events designed for both local residents and international visitors. Major items include:

• Opening Ceremony & Night Performances — a televised opening gala with large-scale artistic performances and fireworks (held at Dinh Lễ / Nam Cường squares).
• Ethnic Cultural Spaces & Folk Ceremonies — immersive exhibitions and staged rituals that present the music, dance, crafts and daily life of the province’s ethnic groups.
• “Chợ Cốc Lếu xưa” (Cốc Lếu Old Market Re-creation) — a living market space with traditional foods, handicrafts, and demonstrations of local trades and OCOP products.
• Vietnam–China International Trade Fair (25th Vietnam–China Trade Fair) — large exhibition with hundreds of booths showcasing trade, agriculture and cross-border business opportunities.
• Sporting & Leisure Events — including a festival golf tournament (Sapa Grand Golf Course) and other community sports to broaden visitor appeal.
• Conferences, Forums & Exhibition Spaces — policy & business dialogues on Red River basin cooperation, sustainable tourism, and cultural preservation; plus multi-space displays of heritage and tourism products.

Why it matters

Beyond entertainment, the Red River Festival positions Lào Cai as a cultural hub linking northern Vietnam and Yunnan, strengthens people-to-people contacts across borders, and creates tangible commercial opportunities for local producers and tourism businesses. The event is also part of a multi-year plan to make the festival a recurring regional platform (with staged expansion toward national and international partnership in subsequent years).

The Red River Festival 2025 — held under the theme “Where the Red River Flows into Vietnam” — is a week-long cultural and tourism celebration hosted by Lào Cai Province from 18–24 November 2025. The festival brings together provinces and cities in the Red River basin and partners from Yunnan (China) to celebrate shared river heritage while boosting cultural exchange, cross-border cooperation and regional tourism development.

Time & Locations

The official program runs across a seven-day festival week (18–24 November 2025), with key opening and headline events staged at Dinh Lễ Square (Phường Lào Cai) and large public squares in Lào Cai city (including Nam Cường / Cam Đường). Other festival venues include the historic Cốc Lếu market area (recreated as “Chợ Cốc Lếu xưa”), the Kim Thành International Exhibition & Trade Center (for the Vietnam–China trade fair), and several venues around Lào Cai province such as the Sapa Grand Golf Course (for sporting events).

Purpose & Significance

The festival aims to: (1) showcase and preserve the living cultural heritage of the Red River basin, (2) promote Lào Cai as a cultural-tourism gateway linking northern Vietnam and Yunnan, (3) stimulate socio-economic development through tourism, trade and cross-border collaboration, and (4) raise public awareness of river basin conservation and the value of intangible cultural traditions. Organizers have positioned the event as a strategic step toward deeper regional cooperation and long-term tourism development for the Red River region.

Main Activities and Highlights

The festival program includes a rich mix of cultural, commercial and sporting events designed for both local residents and international visitors. Major items include:

• Opening Ceremony & Night Performances — a televised opening gala with large-scale artistic performances and fireworks (held at Dinh Lễ / Nam Cường squares).
• Ethnic Cultural Spaces & Folk Ceremonies — immersive exhibitions and staged rituals that present the music, dance, crafts and daily life of the province’s ethnic groups.
• “Chợ Cốc Lếu xưa” (Cốc Lếu Old Market Re-creation) — a living market space with traditional foods, handicrafts, and demonstrations of local trades and OCOP products.
• Vietnam–China International Trade Fair (25th Vietnam–China Trade Fair) — large exhibition with hundreds of booths showcasing trade, agriculture and cross-border business opportunities.
• Sporting & Leisure Events — including a festival golf tournament (Sapa Grand Golf Course) and other community sports to broaden visitor appeal.
• Conferences, Forums & Exhibition Spaces — policy & business dialogues on Red River basin cooperation, sustainable tourism, and cultural preservation; plus multi-space displays of heritage and tourism products.

Why it matters

Beyond entertainment, the Red River Festival positions Lào Cai as a cultural hub linking northern Vietnam and Yunnan, strengthens people-to-people contacts across borders, and creates tangible commercial opportunities for local producers and tourism businesses. The event is also part of a multi-year plan to make the festival a recurring regional platform (with staged expansion toward national and international partnership in subsequent years).

Thanh Tuan