As part of the 1st Festival of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Ethnic Groups in Mountainous Areas, on the morning of May 30, the Highland Culinary Festival and Traditional Cooking Contest officially launched at A Luoi 2 Commune Market.

The first “Cultural, Sports and Tourism Festival of Mountainous Ethnic Groups” of Hue City in 2026 is part of the “Summer Festival” program of Hue Festival 2026. It is held periodically and rotates among localities where ethnic minority communities settle and live.

The sound of gongs echoing through the mountains, the graceful spins of Pa Co and Ta Oi (ethnic groups) dances, once thought to belong only to the memory of old festivals, are now alive again in A Luoi 2. Here, a Co Tu girl named A Rel Thuy Linh, along with local youth, continue to nurture their passion, bringing the heritage of their homeland to life with vibrant performances that immerse audiences in the atmosphere of a true festival.

Culinary culture not simply is about food but also contains stories about the vibrant life of indigenous people. In the vast Truong Son mountains, the dishes of Ta Oi, Pa Co, Co Tu ethnic groups are rich with the flavors of the forest from available natural ingredients, combined with age-old secrets, creating unique values found nowhere else.