On November 2, within the framework of the 1st Muong Lay Ward Sports Festival, Dien Bien Province, at the Mechanical Boat Wharf (Muong Lay Ward), many people and tourists gathered to watch the En tail boat racing and the Kayak boat racing.
Accordingly, the Sports and Physical Training Festival brings together 8 delegations of athletes from blocks, residential areas, agencies, units, schools and armed forces in the area.
In the traditional Swallow-tailed Boat Race, there are 10 teams with 200 athletes competing in 3 events: mixed-women, men's team and women's team.
On the Song Da lake, when the command drum sounded, the rowers simultaneously threw the roof. Each boat at the end of the traditional Sen rowed strongly, "pushing" the water surface in the cheers and cheers echoing throughout the boat dock, as if giving strength to the athletes.
Mr. Giang Van Chieu (Na Lay Cluster, Muong Lay Ward) said: "Although I participate every year, I am very nervous every time. The race process was very tiring, but hearing the voices of the people cheering made us forget all the fatigue".
In addition to Swallow-tailed Boat Racing, the modern Kayak boat racing program also has 34 athletes (17 teams). This is a youthful sport, requiring endurance, water wave handling techniques and the speed control of the rowers.
According to Mr. Nguyen Dat Long - Chairman of Muong Lay Ward People's Committee, after 10 times of organizing the traditional En tail boat racing festival on New Year's Day, this has become a typical tourism "brand" of Muong Lay.
"Following that success, the ward has expanded the scale of the flood season tourism festival on the Da River with many unique activities such as cultural experiences, river sports, nature exploration...", Mr. Long emphasized.
According to Mr. Long, this is also an opportunity for Muong Lay to strengthen regional linkages, especially the waterway system connecting with Quynh Nhai commune (Son La) and Nam Hang, Le Loi, Nam Ma communes (Lai Chau), forming a chain of inter-provincial river and road tourism linkages.
In addition to festivals, Muong Lay currently possesses many advantages and great potential to develop tourism. Notably, the large Son La hydroelectric reservoir, surrounded by majestic mountainous terrain, is considered "Ha Long in the air".
This is an ideal condition for exploiting river tourism, trekking, camping, paragliding, and exploring caves and primeval forests, emphasized the Chairman of Muong Lay Ward People's Committee.
