Building the Lotus Village Festival into a national cultural brand
The 2025 National Lotus Village Festival is held on the occasion of the 135th birthday anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2025), an occasion for the entire Party, people and army to express their respect and deep gratitude to the great leader of the nation. Nghe An Newspaper had an interview with Comrade Bui Dinh Long - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee about the significance, stature and special highlights of the Festival.
PV:Dear comrade, the 2025 Lotus Village Festival on a national scale has a special meaning and great significance. Could you share more about how this year's festival has been expressing the people's gratitude to Uncle Ho, as well as the spread of Ho Chi Minh's cultural and ideological values in the current context?
Comrade Bui Dinh Long:The 2025 Lotus Village Festival truly has a profound meaning and a prominent stature compared to previous festivals, because it is associated with an important historical milestone - the 135th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday. Organizing it on a national scale shows the deep concern of the Party, State and People of the whole country for Uncle Ho's homeland - the land that gave birth to him, as well as for the ideological and moral heritage that he left for the nation.
Right from the first days of the festival, especially inopening nightTaking place on the evening of May 15, we clearly felt the solemn, sacred but also warm and intimate atmosphere. The opening ceremony was not only an art program but also a symphony of gratitude, a message spreading the sacred and loving feelings that the people of the whole country have for Uncle Ho. The presence of leaders of the Party, State, ministries, central branches, representatives of provinces and cities across the country and a large number of people affirmed the scale and influence of the festival.
Although organized on a large scale with many diverse activities at many different locations, all preparations and organization were carried out systematically and scientifically, ensuring solemnity, safety and efficiency. More valuable than all is the active participation of the people - not only as spectators, but also as cultural subjects - which contributed to the success of the festival. It is this spirit of unity and solidarity that has further highlighted the meaning of "The Great Festival of the People" that the Sen Village Festival is aiming for and is gradually realizing.
PV:The 2025 Lotus Village Festival is leaving a lasting impression on locals and visitors. Could you please review some of the typical activities and highlights that have been creating a positive impact in the community?
Comrade Bui Dinh Long:One of the most special and meaningful highlights that should be mentioned first is the inauguration ceremony of the Statue of “Uncle Ho Visiting His Hometown”. The idea of building this project comes from the desire to realistically and vividly recreate the simple and familiar image of Uncle Ho during his visits to his hometown in 1957 and 1961. The chosen location is Lang Sen Stadium - where Uncle Ho once spoke to his hometown people - not only has profound historical value but also has a spacious space, convenient for building a large-scale project, creating attraction for tourists from all over.
This is a meaningful gift that the People's Public Security force respectfully offers to Uncle Ho - the beloved Father of the People's Armed Forces. Under the close direction of the Ministry of Public Security, the close coordination of Nghe An province and the great efforts of the construction unit, the project was completed on schedule, ensuring quality and aesthetic value. We expect the project to become a new cultural - historical symbol, an indispensable stop for every Vietnamese person when returning to visit Uncle Ho's homeland, to remember, show gratitude and learn, follow his shining example.
In addition to this key project, the 2025 Sen Village Festival also has many new features and unique and rich activities. In particular, the highlight is the Run "Journey in the footsteps of Uncle Ho - For the security of the Fatherland" with the enthusiastic participation of many professional and grassroots athletes, contributing to spreading the spirit of health training and learning from Uncle Ho's example throughout society.
The photo exhibition “ASEAN Countries and People” has attracted the attention of a large number of art lovers. The works here not only vividly depict the image of the homeland but also open up a multi-dimensional perspective on international friends, contributing to promoting cultural exchange.
An annual activity, but this year held on a particularly large scale, is the Mass Art Performance “Sang Lang Sen”, gathering nearly 1,000 mass artists from all three regions of the country. This is truly a meaningful playground for art troupes to express their talents, feelings and love for Uncle Ho through songs and voices imbued with national identity.
In addition, the National Wrestling Championship and many other sports competitions also contributed to creating a vibrant and unique atmosphere for the festival, especially attracting the attention of young people. The film week about Uncle Ho and the exchanges with cinema artists and film crews who have made works about Uncle Ho are also practical activities, helping the public understand more deeply about his life, career and thoughts through the language of the seventh art.
PV:The important role of large-scale cultural events such as the Sen Village Festival in promoting tourism and socio-economic development cannot be denied. How do you evaluate the specific contributions of this year's festival to Nghe An's tourism industry, especially in attracting tourists and promoting the image of President Ho Chi Minh's homeland?
Comrade Bui Dinh Long:The Lotus Village Festival has long been identified as one of the important driving forces to promote tourism and socio-economic development of Nghe An province. In 2025, with a national scale and elaborate and methodical investment, the festival is creating positive effects and making clear contributions in many aspects.
First of all, in terms of tourism, the Sen Village Festival is a unique cultural tourism product, with great appeal to domestic and foreign tourists. In just the first days of the festival, the number of pilgrims to Sen Village as well as key tourist destinations in the province has increased dramatically. This is an opportunity for Nghe An to widely promote the image of a countryside rich in revolutionary traditions, rich in cultural identity and hospitality - the birthplace of the beloved leader of the nation.
Activities within the framework of the festival - from highly symbolic ceremonies, special art programs, to exhibitions, sports activities,mass performance- all contribute to highlighting the unique culture of Nghe An and shining the ideological and moral values of Ho Chi Minh. Through that, visitors have a deeper experience and feel more clearly about the "Nghe quality" - both rustic, sincere, and rich in tradition and affection.
Not stopping there, the successful organization of a national event like the Lotus Village Festival also contributes to enhancing the prestige, image and position of Nghe An province on the national tourism and cultural map. This is also an opportunity to attract more investors, creating momentum for the development of other economic sectors.
The Sen Village Festival is not only a cultural event with profound spiritual significance, but also an important boost for the sustainable development of the tourism industry and the socio-economic development of the province. The success of this year's festival will be the foundation for Nghe An to continue to effectively exploit its existing potential and advantages, gradually building Uncle Ho's homeland into an attractive destination on the national and international tourism map.
Comrade Bui Dinh Long - Vice Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee
PV:With the experience from previous Sen Village Festivals, especially this national-scale event in 2025, what strategic orientation does Nghe An province have to continue preserving and promoting the value of Ho Chi Minh's cultural heritage through the festival? How can the Sen Village Festival not only be an annual event but also become a unique cultural brand with lasting vitality, contributing to educating the younger generation about the tradition of patriotism and the morality of "remembering the source of water when drinking"?
Comrade Bui Dinh Long:From the experience of organizing the festival in 2025, with the synchronous and effective participation of central ministries and branches, the close coordination of localities and the active participation of the community, we have drawn many valuable lessons to continue to improve organizational capacity. In the coming time, the province will focus on promoting the application of modern technology in the management, operation and promotion of the festival, bringing convenient and attractive experiences to people and tourists.
Another key orientation is to preserve the traditional cultural space in Uncle Ho's hometown, Sen Village. This is not only limited to preserving and embellishing historical relics and natural landscapes, but also includes preserving the lifestyle, customs and habits of the community - the fundamental factors that contributed to the formation of the great personality of President Ho Chi Minh. We see the festival as a bridge for the younger generation to access, experience, understand and love those profound cultural values.
In addition, the province will focus on improving the quality and creativity of festival activities. In addition to solemn traditional ceremonies, we encourage the organization of highly interactive activities, suitable for young people but still maintaining cultural depth. Experiential programs and educational activities on Ho Chi Minh's history and culture will continue to be promoted. Inviting art troupes, folk artists, and researchers from home and abroad to participate also aims to create a rich and multi-dimensional exchange space.
An indispensable task is to promote communication and promotion to build the Sen Village Festival brand deeper and deeper in the public consciousness. We will strengthen cooperation with press agencies, promote multi-platform communication, effectively utilize social networks and digital technology to spread the image of the festival, the image of Uncle Ho's homeland closer to the people of the country and international friends.
In particular, the province pays great attention to promoting the role of the community in organizing and preserving festivals. People are not only participants and beneficiaries, but also creators, preservers and spreaders of the cultural values of the festival. We will create conditions for people to participate more deeply in all stages - from organizing, performing, welcoming guests to developing tourism products and services with local identity.
With strategic orientations and high determination, we expect that the Sen Village Festival will truly become a vibrant and sustainable cultural symbol - a place where national sentiment and pride converge, and an effective channel for educating patriotic traditions and the morality of "remembering the source of water when drinking" in a way that is suitable for the new era.
PV:Thank you very much, comrade!
.png "Infographic: Những điểm nhấn hoạt động Lễ hội Làng Sen năm 2025")
