Attending the opening ceremony were Trần Quốc Cường, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Điện Biên provincial Party Committee, term XIV (2020 - 2025); Lê Thành Đô, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the provincial People’s Council; members of the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee, leaders of the provincial People’s Committee, former provincial leaders through periods; leaders of provincial departments and branches, along with a large number of people and tourists from all over.

The Vietnam - Laos - China Three-Nation Còn Throwing Festival is a special cultural festival, taking place periodically every 2 years, hosted on a rotating basis by border provinces of the three countries Vietnam, Laos, and China. This event is hosted by Điện Biên province, with the participation of delegations from Lai Châu province (Vietnam), Phongsaly province (Laos), Jiangcheng county, and Pu’er city, Yunnan province (China).

Opening the festival, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyễn Minh Phú emphasized: Còn throwing is not only a folk game but a unique cultural symbol of the ethnic communities of Northwestern Vietnam, Northern Laos, and Southwestern China, entrusting aspirations for lush crops and prosperous villages. At the same time, affirming that maintaining and periodically organizing the festival is an effective people-to-people diplomatic activity, contributing to consolidating traditional friendship, development cooperation, and promoting tourism - trade - cultural exchange between the three countries. This is also Điện Biên’s commitment to turning the border into a space of peace, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development for the people.

This year’s festival carries the theme “Solidarity, Friendship - Deep Border Affection - Developing Together”. Within the framework of the 3-day festival (December 19 - 21), many attractive cultural exchange activities take place in the area of Điện Biên Phủ ward to serve the people and tourists.

These include arts exchange and ethnic costume performances at the Phiêng Lơi village Cultural House; displaying and promoting cultural - tourism products and photo exhibitions at the Mường Thanh market area; and exchange and competition of folk sports (Con throwing, stick pushing, crossbow shooting, top spinning, tug of war...) at Phiêng Lơi village.

Within the framework of the festival, there is a Famtrip program for tourism survey and business connection between the three countries. Many experience products associated with indigenous culture and destination tours in the region are organized on this occasion to serve people and tourists visiting and learning.

The highlight of the opening night was the art program lasting more than 90 minutes, with the participation of 160 professional and amateur actors and artisans from the three countries. The program was staged in two parts: “Weaving a strip of brocade flowers” and “Deepening solidarity - Heading towards the future”, with content throughout recreating the beauty of the Northwest, the culture of the three countries’ ethnic groups, friendly neighborly relations, and future cooperation prospects.