Not only a resort destination, Sa Pa is gradually affirming its attractiveness with unique cultural tourism products. During the Lunar New Year, the "Sa Pa - Each Day a Colorful Spring" experience tour series offers visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in the festival space, rituals and traditional cuisine of 5 long-standing ethnic groups including: H'Mong, Red Dao, Tay, Giay and Xa Pho.
The program is designed according to the model "one topic - one session - one ethnic group", each tour lasts about 3.5 - 4 hours, suitable for both group and individual guests. During this time, visitors can access excerpts of traditional rituals (with explanations, ensuring safety), participate in folk games, interact - take photos with artisans, shop for local products and enjoy typical cuisine of each ethnic group.
The highlight of the tour series is the originality and direct participation of the community. All rituals are performed by artisans and local shamans, built by the Community Connection Culture Cooperative into excerpts suitable for tourism, without copying or mass performances. Thanks to that, tourists can access highland culture in a realistic and solemn way, instead of just "seeing to know".
According to the schedule, from the 5th day of Tet to mid-January, visitors will successively experience typical rituals and festivals of each ethnic group.
The 5th day of Tet is Red Dao Tet, with the Pút Tồng (Fire Dance) ritual - the first ritual of the year to thank ancestors and gods, associated with the image of fire dance, carrying the meaning of purification, praying for health and a new beginning.
On the 6th day of Tet, the Khuou Then Festival of the Tay people is recreated, which is an opportunity for the community to return offerings, express gratitude to the Then Master and send wishes for peace and prosperity for the new year.
The 11th day of the first lunar month is Tet Xa Pho, with New Year celebrations, Xoe dances, folk games and bustling village festival atmosphere. Next, on the 12th day of the first lunar month, the Giay people organize the Roong Pook Festival (Going to the fields) - a ritual to open the new agricultural year, praying for bumper harvests.
The experience series closed on the 13th day of the first lunar month with the Gau Tao Festival of the H'Mong people - a sacred festival at the beginning of the year, praying for blessings, health and prosperity for families and communities.
Each topic combines folk performances, handicraft experiences, traditional cuisine and interactive activities, creating a vivid picture of the cultural life of ethnic groups in the highlands of Sa Pa in the spring days.
In parallel with thematic tours, from the 2nd to the 4th day of Tet, the Connecting Community Culture Cooperative organizes a community spring fun space at Quan Stadium and the "Sa Pa - Essence Gathering" cultural space. Here, free tourists, families and young children can participate in prize-winning folk games, check-in in the highland Tet space and enjoy local cuisine.
Through this series of activities, Sa Pa expects to create more livelihoods for artisans, food workers and households participating in services, thereby contributing to tourism development in a sustainable direction, respecting local cultural values.
