Children perform to welcome guests at the opening ceremony.

Lao Cai representatives attending included Duong Quoc Huy, Member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Nguyen Huu Van, former Member of the Party Central Committee, former State Auditor General and former Secretary of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee; members of the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee; standing members of the Provincial People's Council and leaders of the Provincial People's Committee; former provincial leaders from different periods; and leaders of provincial departments, agencies and mass organizations.

Duong Quoc Huy, Member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee, and other delegates attend the programme.

Representing central ministries and agencies was Nguyen Hoang Hai, Deputy Chairman of the National Boundary Commission under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

International guests included Wu Guoquan, Minister-Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam; Nghiem Viet Chung, Consul General of Vietnam in Kunming, China; Tang Yuan, Director General of the Yunnan Provincial Sports Bureau; and a delegation representing departments, agencies and localities of Yunnan Province, China.

Delegates from Hai Phong, Hanoi and Quang Ninh also attended.

Delegates at the opening of the 2026 Sa Pa Autumn Festival.

The 2026 Sa Pa Autumn Festival took place amid nationwide activities by the Party, people and armed forces celebrating the 81st anniversary of the August Revolution and the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It also welcomed the 12th Cooperation Conference on the Economic Corridor linking Lao Cai, Hanoi, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh (Vietnam) with Yunnan (China), hosted in Lao Cai.

The festival attracts large numbers of residents and visitors.

Opening the festival, Dang Viet Dung, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Sa Pa Ward People's Committee, said Sa Pa was a land richly endowed by nature, bringing together distinctive values of landscape, climate and culture, where ethnic communities have created and preserved a rich treasury of heritage across generations.

As Sa Pa enters a new stage of development, it aims to build a green, sustainable and smart Sa Pa National Tourism Area with a steadily growing international profile. This is not merely a development direction, but also a responsibility borne by the local administration and people towards the national tourism area, visitors and future generations.

Dang Viet Dung, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Sa Pa Ward People's Committee, delivered the opening remarks.

Immediately after the ceremony, delegates, residents and visitors enjoyed a special arts programme themed "Sa Pa - Autumn Comes to the Heritage Land".

The main performance featured 12 acts arranged in three chapters: "Autumn Comes to Sa Pa", "Sa Pa - Land of Love" and "Sa Pa - Autumn Colours of Integration".

An arts performance at the 2026 Sa Pa Autumn Festival.

Through artistic expression, Mong khen melodies, ethnic dances, highland markets, villages and golden rice terraces became cultural messages imbued with the Vietnamese spirit, bringing the image of Sa Pa closer to audiences at home and abroad.

Large crowds gathered at San Quan Square to watch the programme and immerse themselves in Sa Pa's autumn cultural and artistic atmosphere.

The 2026 Sa Pa Autumn Festival runs through August and September with a series of cultural, arts, sports and tourism-experience activities.

Highlights include the Ban May Golden Season Festival from August 15 to September 2; Green Sa Pa on August 23; the first Northwest Brocade Carnival on September 4; the Vietnam Mountain Marathon - VMM 2026 from September 17 to 20; and the Full Moon Night Festival on September 25.

A panoramic view of the opening of the 2026 Sa Pa Autumn Festival.

Through the series, Sa Pa Ward aims to introduce visitors to its natural landscapes, golden rice season and the distinctive cultural values of local ethnic communities, contributing to an image of Sa Pa as a green, culturally distinctive, safe, friendly and attractive destination with a steadily rising international profile.

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