Sim flower festival to open Mong Cai on May 17-18

The Sim Flower Festival, a signature cultural and tourism event in the border city of Mong Cai, is ready to welcome visitors on May 17-18, 2025.

In this revered borderland where mountains meet the sky and patriotism runs deep, the sim flower (rose myrtle) has become a symbol of love for one’s country and for one another. With its simple charm, enduring vitality, and deep cultural resonance, the sim flower now represents the spirit of hospitality and the unique tourism identity of Hai Son commune, Mong Cai city.

Launched in 2022, the festival has been closely tied to the development of community-based tourism in Hai Son. It not only showcases the land where local residents and soldiers serve as living markers of Vietnam’s border sovereignty and cultural heritage, but also empowers ethnic minority communities to engage in tourism, improve livelihoods, and preserve their traditions.

The event is also part of Mong Cai’s broader strategy to position tourism as a key economic driver and to develop the Tra Co national tourist area into a premier destination.

Hai Son is home to spectacular natural landscapes and rich cultural treasures, including the Po Hen National Historical Site, a colorful mountain mural village, the 72-Chamber Waterfall -Trang Vinh Lake, Panai Mountain, Ma Thau Son, and Sim Hill. Visitors will also find vibrant traditional customs, folk arts, unique highland cuisine, and captivating games brought to life by ethnic groups such as the Dao and San Chi.

The Border Sim Flower Festival has become a platform to enhance tourism services in a professional yet culturally authentic way, offering a distinctive identity within Mong Cai’s broader tourism narrative.

At the festival, visitors can immerse themselves in rich cultural performances, take part in interactive community tourism experiences, and enjoy traditional highland dishes such as khau nhục (braised pork belly), free-range chicken and duck, sour mustard hotpot, salted dracontomelon with galangal, fermented tofu, dried radish, and traditional cakes like hump-backed bánh chưng, long bánh chưng, ash cakes, and colorful sticky rice.

The festival celebrates and promotes the cultural richness of Mong Cai’s ethnic communities, especially those in Hai Son and other border communes while attracting visitors, creating jobs, and raising local incomes through sustainable tourism.

Every year, the festival draws tens of thousands of locals and tourists alike, reinforcing its role as a highlight of spiritual, experiential, and community-based tourism in Hai Son. It also plays an important part in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and unlocking new opportunities for local residents.

A special highlight of this year’s festival is the Mong Cai half marathon, which will bring together thousands of runners from across the country. Participants will not only get the chance to run through hills blanketed in vibrant purple sim blossoms, but also enjoy a series of cultural and sporting events such as folk games, a women’s football tournament, local markets, highland cuisine (hill chicken, stream fish, local pork, five-colored sticky rice), and exhibitions of local specialties.