According to reporters of Lao Dong Newspaper, from the morning of January 2nd, the area of Co Khi boat wharf and Co Khi - Nam Can bridge (center of Muong Lay ward, Dien Bien) was packed with people and tourists.
Although the 11th Swallowtail Boat Racing Festival with the theme "Returning to Da Giang River" will not officially open until the evening of January 2nd, the attraction of sideline sports activities, especially kayak racing, has attracted a large number of tourists to enjoy the new spring of 2026.
The Kayak race has the participation of 15 racing teams, competing in 2 events: Men's Doubles (10 teams) and Men's and Women's Doubles (5 teams). Under the enthusiastic cheers of the audience, the athletes dedicated dramatic chases, stirring up the water surface of the Da River on New Year's Day.
This is a sport with a youthful color, requiring endurance, water wave handling techniques and speed control ability of rowers.
Present in Muong Lay in the early days of the year, Ms. Tran Phuong Anh - a tourist from Dien Bien Phu ward, said: "My family moved here early in the morning to have time to watch boat racing. The atmosphere is very crowded and bustling. We have to jostle to find a beautiful place to stand.
Ms. Lo Thi Thanh - athlete of Na Lay team (Muong Lay ward) who just completed the competition, said: "I feel very proud and happy to have finished first in the competition stage. The encouragement of the people is the motivation for the athletes to compete wholeheartedly.
The 11th Swallowtail Boat Racing Festival, Muong Lay ward, is held for 3 days (from January 2-4, 2026). This is an activity within a series of events to welcome the New Year of Dien Bien province.
The focus of the Festival is sports activities associated with water surfaces and specific terrain such as: swallow-tail boat racing, paragliding, jet skiing, kayak racing, off-road cycling, tug-of-war...
One of the special highlights of this year's festival is the Dancing of Solidarity with the Da Giang River event aimed at setting a record for the community-connected performance event with the largest number of participants in Vietnam (about 10,000 people).
According to leaders of Muong Lay Ward People's Committee, the organization of the Goosetail Boat Racing Festival activities associated with cultural, sports and tourism activities aims to maximize the potential and advantages of tourism, services, and commerce of the ward.
Muong Lay ward also sets a goal to focus on comprehensive development in terms of scope, scale, and nature to create a boost to make tourism a major economic sector, creating momentum for growth and economic restructuring based on effectively exploiting potentials and advantages...
