(VOVWORLD) - When the terraced fields in the border commune of Luc Hon, Quang Ninh province, turn golden, the local Tay people hold their New Rice Celebration. The ritual honors their ancestors and nature for blessing them with a bountiful harvest.
 Sticky rice cooked with ginger leaves is a signature dish on the New Rice Celebration of the Tay people in Luc Hon. (Photo: VOV) |
Local dishes, bearing the colors and flavors of mountain and forest, are cooked and arranged on ceremonial trays in the courtyard of Luc Na communal house. The offerings include boiled chicken, stewed pork, sour fish, wild banana blossom salad, stir-fried vermicelli, and sticky rice cooked in fresh ginger-leaf water, which gives it a green hue.
Luong Thi Cam, a Tay woman from Na Tao village, said the New Rice Celebration attracts people from 29 villages. “Na Tao village has brought an offering tray that reveals our ethnic identity. The custom has been maintained in the Tay community for generations. The New Rice Celebration is an occasion for relatives and neighbors to gather and share their experience and pray for a more abundant harvest next season.”
 The New Rice ceremonial tray of the Tay from Dong Long village, Luc Hon commune, won first prize at the contest. (Photo: VOV) |
The New Rice Celebration culinary tray contest attracts crowds of locals and visitors who come to observe, cheer on their friends, and enjoy the dishes.
Tourist Ha Thi Thuy said: “I’m very impressed by their unique dishes. Each tray has its own merits, such as steamed sticky rice of a distinctive color with fragrant, chewy grains. Every tray has stewed pork, which is prepared with great care.”
The New Rice Celebration marks the end of a production year. People offer the fruits of their labor to the Gods and their ancestors and pray for good health. The ceremony is also an occasion for family reunions.
Phan Thi Hue, Vice Principal of Ha Long University, said: “This is a very distinctive intangible cultural heritage of the Tay people which has been conscientiously preserved by the community. Although it’s a Tay ritual, members of the Dao and San Chi also take part. It’s an opportunity to introduce the culture to visitors and pass on customs and cultural identity to the younger generation.”
 Visitors enthusiastically enjoy the signature dishes of other ethnic groups. (Photo: VOV) |
The New Rice Celebration was a highlight of the Golden Harvest Festival 2025 which was held from late October through the end of November. Other highlights were a Golden Harvest photo session at the terraced field heritage site, hands-on rice harvesting, a paragliding demonstration called “Flying over the Golden Harvest”, trekking to the Cao Xiem summit, and a program called “Stay in the village, eat and work with the locals.” Luc Hon commune, where 98% of its population is comprised of various ethnic minorities, is building on the development achievements of the former Binh Lieu district.
 The Golden Harvest Festival is held when the terraced rice fields begin to turn golden. (Photo: VOV) |
Vi Tien Vuong, Chairman of the commune’s People’s Committee, said: “This is an occasion for us to introduce and promote the cultural values of ethnic communities, strengthen tourism branding, encourage travel enterprises and investors to develop tourism services, and attract tourists to sightseeing and experiential tours closely connected to local life and culture.”
By the end of 2025, Luc Hon commune hopes to have welcomed 35,000 visitors. The New Rice Celebration and the Golden Harvest Festival are core parts of the commune’s tourism development plan. Luc Hon has focused on improving infrastructure; renovating homestays, eco-resorts, and camping sites; and launching the “Each resident is a tour guide” movement to make itself a popular tourism destination on Vietnam’s northeastern border.