The 2026 Muong Lo festival opened with a cultural programme honouring Thai Xoe dance and a mass performance involving more than 2,000 artisans and performers. Bao Van Hoa's October 16 report said the event marked five years since the dance's inscription on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The festival celebrates an existing inscription, rather than a new UNESCO listing. Representatives of central agencies, Lao Cai provincial leaders, international guests, residents and visitors attended the opening.
Community stories through dance
The opening programme drew inspiration from the Thai narrative poem Xong chu xon xao and the Xai Panh bond of affection. Music and folk performance explored love, customs and community relationships.
The mass Xoe dance recreated a communal setting in which participants join hands and move together. The report placed this practice alongside other expressions of Thai community life, including traditional singing, embroidered headscarves, woven textiles and village customs.
The festival also introduces activities linking Vietnam Culture Day with the national solidarity festival locally, while recognising artisans and communities who sustain the heritage.
Conservation, livelihoods and tourism
The wider programme includes tourism fairs, OCOP product displays, food and village-culture experiences, intended to connect traditional products with visitors.
At the opening, Lao Cai People's Committee chairman Nguyen Tuan Anh emphasised linking heritage conservation with tourism, supporting artisans and teaching younger generations. Provincial policy identifies residents as central to creating, preserving and benefiting from cultural activities. Daily transmission within the community was presented as essential to maintaining the heritage across generations.