Ban flower - the flower of the mountains and forests of Dien Bien and the Northwest

No one knows when the Ban flower first appeared, but the Thai people only know that the story of the Ban flower is told through stories such as Pi Khum-Noong Ban, Cam Doi-Hien Hom... These are famous love stories of the Thai people, about couples who love each other but are forbidden by their families, unable to be together, and then turn into flowers symbolizing the loyalty of a pure, beautiful love.

The elegant, pure beauty of Dien Bien white bauhinia flowers, usually blooming in March every year

The five-petaled flower has a fan shape, with many colors such as purple, white, red, but the most common is still white. The flower only blooms for about a month and a half, peaking in March every year, and when it rains or winds, the flower will fall off by itself. Year after year, as if on schedule, in March, the white flower blooms all over the mountains and forests of the Northwest, creating a poetic and romantic scene.

Ms. Lo Thi Kien (Noong Chun village, Nam Thanh ward, Dien Bien Phu city, Dien Bien province) said: “Since I was born, I have seen Bauhinia flowers. In the past, when going to herd buffaloes, cows, or collect firewood, everyone liked Bauhinia flowers, and if they couldn’t pick Bauhinia flowers, they wouldn’t go home. Because Bauhinia trees are tall, men and boys would climb up the tree to cut branches, while girls would stay at the base to pick each Bauhinia flower branch, picking each flower while chatting and joking with each other very happily. That’s why in the past, the Thai people had a saying: ‘The boy cuts the Bauhinia, the boy trims the branches’.”

When picking beautiful, fragrant Ban flowers, young girls in the mountainous regions often put them in their long hair buns. Married women put them in their “tang cau” (a type of jewelry) to enhance the beauty of Thai women. Many young couples have also fallen in love and become husband and wife from picking Ban flowers in the forest.

Thai women prepare dishes from Ban flowers

Ms. Luong Thi On (Pa Dong village, Thanh Xuong commune, Dien Bien district, Dien Bien province) said: “In the past, during the blooming season, Thai boys and girls often invited each other to go to the forest to pick Ban flowers. Boys and girls would put flowers in each other's hair. When they returned home, they would drink water, chat, confide, and get to know each other. If they fell in love, the boy would tell his parents to ask permission to go to the girl's house to propose marriage. Through that, many couples got married.”

Not only is it a beautiful flower of the mountains and forests, the Thai ethnic people also bring the Ban flower back to process into many delicious dishes such as: Ban flower salad with galangal sprouts, sweet bamboo shoots or wild vegetables or Ban flower stir-fried with garlic, stir-fried with buffalo or beef, Ban flower cooked with pig's feet soup, Ban flower cooked with dipping sauce of sour bamboo shoots, will have a very rich and unforgettable astringent, sweet taste.

Thai women in traditional ethnic costumes at the opening night of the National Tourism Year and Dien Bien Ban Flower Festival 2024

Mr. Quang Van Ca (To Cuong village, Ang To commune, Muong Ang district, Dien Bien province) said: “From children to the elderly, when seeing the Ban flowers, it is like seeing a beautiful young girl, as white as the white Ban flowers. That is why, during the Ban flower season, everyone must see, pick, and eat them like when they were young, like when young men and women were courting. As for the elderly, they wish to live longer to be able to see the Ban flowers year after year.”

In the past, Ban flowers only grew on hillsides and mountain ranges, but in recent years, Ban flowers have been planted along the streets of Dien Bien Phu, creating a beautiful scene of mountains and forests... The Ban flower festival is also held annually by Dien Bien province so that visitors to the historical land can learn more about the heroic fighting tradition of their ancestors, the unique culture of ethnic minorities and capture beautiful moments with Ban flowers.

Visitors are free to take photos and capture beautiful moments with the Bauhinia flowers.

Ms. Luong Thi On (Pa Dong village, Thanh Xuong commune, Dien Bien district, Dien Bien province) added: "When tourists come to Dien Bien, everyone comes to take pictures where the beautiful Ban flowers bloom, everyone loves the Ban flowers. In general, tourists all come to the Ban flowers, it's very crowded and fun."

On the Northwest roads, especially on the historic land of Dien Bien in these March days, the elegant and pure beauty of the blooming Ban flowers, spreading their fragrance throughout the mountains and forests, is an invitation for more and more tourists to come to the National Tourism Year - Dien Bien Ban Flower Festival 2024.

Source: https://vov.vn/du-lich/hoa-ban-loai-hoa-cua-nui-rung-dien-bien-va-tay-bac-post1084216.vov