This year's buckwheat flower season kicked off with the opening of the 12th Buckwheat Flower Festival 2026, themed "Echoes of the Karst Plateau."
The opening ceremony took place on the evening of October 25 at Youth Square in Dong Van Commune, organized by the Tuyen Quang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in collaboration with TL Vietnam Entertainment and Media Co., Ltd.
The charm of the flower season lies not only in the opening festival but also along the scenic mountain roads, local villages, and cultural experiences awaiting travelers to explore.
For generations, buckwheat flowers have been deeply interwoven with the lives of ethnic minority communities in the northern highlands. In late autumn and early winter, as the chilly breeze sets in, vast patches of buckwheat reach their peak beauty. The soft pink and pale purple hues, standing out against the rugged rocky mountains, create the signature landscape of the Dong Van Karst Plateau, drawing visitors to admire the blooms, take photos, and experience the local culture.
Along National Highway 4C, popular spots such as Heaven's Gate, Tham Ma Pass, the road to Pao's House, and the Lo Lo Chai Tourism Cultural Village feature buckwheat flowers blooming in full and even display throughout the final two months of the year. Patches of blossoms along the roadsides, nestled among limestone peaks and traditional villages, add a unique appeal to journeys exploring the northernmost reach of the country.
This year, buckwheat flowers have been planted in multiple phases across approximately 400 hectares of the Dong Van Karst Plateau, with the blooming season spanning from October to December. Staggering the planting schedule helps maintain the blossoms over several weeks, giving tourists greater flexibility in planning their visits. The flower season also creates additional opportunities for residents to expand lodging, catering, and cultural experience services.
Tourist demand reflects the destination's strong pull. Over the past weekend, more than 1,000 guest rooms in Lung Cu Commune were fully booked. The Lo Lo Chai Tourism Cultural Village, situated at the foot of the Lung Cu National Flagpole, has also emerged as a favored stopover. From here, visitors can combine flower viewing with exploring traditional architecture, local customs, regional cuisine, and the daily lives of highland ethnic communities.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of this year's Buckwheat Flower Festival, Vice Chairman of the Tuyen Quang Provincial People's Committee, Do Hung Duc, emphasized that the enduring vitality of the buckwheat flower evokes the rustic and resilient character of the highland people. From a crop closely tied to daily life, the buckwheat blossom has become a tourism symbol, helping connect the Dong Van Karst Plateau with domestic and international visitors. Tourism development must go hand in hand with landscape and environmental conservation, preserving cultural identity, and creating livelihoods for residents.
However, the appeal of the Dong Van Karst Plateau extends beyond a single festival night or familiar photo spots. Travelers also seek to explore village life, savor local cuisine, and experience indigenous culture. As the flower season spans several weeks, drawing visitors to the karst plateau in the final months of the year, sustaining this long-term attraction requires balancing promotional activities and festival organization with landscape protection, cultural preservation, and appropriate service development. Only when local communities derive sustainable livelihoods from tourism and the environment is preserved can the buckwheat blooms truly become a lasting driver for the northernmost region.
