The Lao Cai Red River Festival 2025 takes place in the energetic atmosphere of a thriving border city. This is not only an annual cultural event of Lao Cai province, but also an opportunity for tourists and businesses to clearly feel the tourism – trade – cultural exchange rhythm of the gateway to the Northwest region. From riverside experiences to the large fair space, the festival shows a Lao Cai that is expanding its connections and confidently introducing its identity.
First impression: a city “activated” by the festival
I arrived in Lao Cai on the morning of the event. The normally quiet city broke free from its usual rhythm: banners, welcome gates, decorative lights and the sound of festival drums made the atmosphere seem “wind up”. Along both sides of the river, the activity areas were clearly divided: cultural and culinary booths, product exhibition areas, performance stages, boat experience docks, interactive areas for children.
Unlike many local festivals that focus on performance, the Red River Festival feels more intimate and down-to-earth: visitors can walk a few minutes and encounter a new experience. The space is organized in an open, easy-to-move-around manner, suitable for both families and groups of children to explore.
Performance stage: modern but still retains the highland character
This year’s festival invested quite a lot in the performance. The main stage is located near the river bank, has a modern design, good lighting and a fast-paced program, avoiding the slow feeling often seen in local festivals.
The commendable point is the way modern art is blended with indigenous cultural elements. Performances by young artist groups are interspersed with traditional performances such as bell dance, Then singing, and Mong flute. The reasonable arrangement helps the audience not to get tired, while still feeling the identity of the Northern mountainous region.
In the evening, small stages scattered along the riverbank bring a very interesting atmosphere: acoustic, folk performances, brocade fashion. Visitors can choose any corner to stop and watch for a few minutes without having to jostle.
Festival – a commercial meeting point of the Northwest region
If we only see the festival as a cultural event, we will lack perspective. This year’s trade fair area is large in scale, attracting businesses from many provinces and cities and some businesses in the border area of China.
The atmosphere in the exhibition area is quite “hot”: many agricultural enterprises introduce unique products such as cinnamon, medicinal herbs, hawthorn, ancient tea; cooperatives display OCOP products; tourism service enterprises offer tours; some logistics enterprises survey the market for transporting goods through the Lao Cai – Ha Khau international border gate.
I witnessed several discussions between businesses right at the booth, from packaging, quality to the possibility of bringing goods into the supermarket system. The festival is therefore not only a shopping space, but also a place to create opportunities for regional cooperation – something that Lao Cai has been doing very clearly in recent years.
How does Lao Cai use festivals to stimulate tourism?
It is easy to see that Lao Cai does not organize festivals in a “one-and-done” manner. They link this event to the province’s tourism ecosystem:
- Linking Lao Cai city tour with Thuong temple – border bridge – Coc Leu market.
- Connecting Sa Pa, Fansipan, Y Ty tour during the festival week.
- Increasing bus trips to Sa Pa on weekends.
- Hotels all have promotional packages for festival guests.
Thanks to this, the number of visitors experiencing the festival is evenly distributed rather than concentrated in a few fixed locations. This is a smart way of organizing, helping the whole city benefit, not just the festival area.
End of day impression: bright city and youthful pace
When the sky turns dark, Lao Cai becomes more vibrant. The lights reflect on the river surface creating a beautiful scene, people and tourists walk along the riverbank, enjoy snacks, watch small performances and take check-in photos.
This atmosphere brings the feeling of a young, developing city with a lot of potential. The festival not only creates cultural activities but also “injects vitality” into the daily lives of the people.
A festival worth experiencing, and a new rendezvous of the border region
The 2025 Lao Cai Red River Festival shows how a locality knows how to take advantage of its advantages: beautiful landscape, diverse culture, border gate location and high level of regional connectivity. From cultural experiences, cuisine, riverside activities to trading space, the festival brings the image of a dynamic, friendly Lao Cai with rich tourism potential.
If the province’s goal is to build a branded annual event that stimulates tourism and economy, then the 2025 Red River Festival is on the right track: clear, coherent and suitable for the way modern tourists want to experience.
