The aforementioned festival in 2026 left a lasting impression on both locals along with tourists. Beyond preserving in conjunction with promoting the M’nong cultural traditions, the festival served as a major tourist attraction, acting as a lever to boost tourism in Lien Son Lak commune.

Held over August 29th and 30th, the festival featured a variety of unique cultural activities deeply rooted in the M’nong people’s daily lives alongside customs. Highlights included not only spaces dedicated to displaying and tasting “can” wine but also a wide range of immersive cultural experiences. Visitors could explore traditional products, watch pottery-making demonstrations together with gong performances, and most notably, learn firsthand about the processes of making yeast coupled with fermenting the “can” wine.

Demonstrating the M’nong people’s traditional “can” wine brewing process.

According to the organizing board, the festival attracted approximately 35,000 visitors, the highest figure recorded for the local short-term cultural combined with tourism event. The figure underscores the appeal of cultural events associated with the Lak lake’s scenic beauty alongside indigenous communities.

Comrade Nguyen Anh Tu, Deputy Secretary of the Communal Party Committee, Chairman of the Communal People’s Committee, Head of the Organizing Board, emphasized that the performances were designed to provide locals together with tourists with opportunities to engage with as well as learn about M’nong traditional culture. Integrating cultural heritage into experiential activities also helped shift the visitor perspective from merely “enjoying culture” towards “experiencing culture”. This festival lays a foundation for Lien Son Lak commune to gradually develop cultural tourism, community-based tourism, combined with experiential tourism products linked to M’nong daily life alongside customs.

Translated by TRINH THUY