At the start of the new year, Muong Lay town in the northwestern province of Dien Bien bursts with excitement and joy during the annual Swallowtail Boat Racing Festival. Over the past decade, the festival has become one of the region’s most iconic cultural events, serving as both a thrilling sporting occasion and a bridge connecting local ethnic communities.

Visiting Muong Lay, the country's smallest town, nestled beside the Son La hydropower reservoir in Dien Bien province, visitors are captivated by rows of black stone-roofed stilt houses, closely lining the reservoir. This cultural and architectural charm reflects the rich heritage that the White Thai community has proudly preserved for generations.

Muong Lay, the smallest town in Vietnam located in Dien Bien province, rests peacefully beside the Son La Hydropower Reservoir. Each year, the reservoir's water rises for six months, from October to March, transforming the landscape.

Muong Lay, the smallest town in Vietnam, nestles besides the Son La hydropower reservoir on Da river in the northwestern province of Dien Bien. Each year, the water levels on the reservoir rise for around six months. Taking advantage of this seasonal change, Muong Lay has offered boat tours to Tua Chua district in Dien Bien and Nam Nhun district in neighbouring Lai Chau province.

Muong Lay town was originally the economic, cultural and political centre of the former Lai Chau province (which included modern-day Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces). It is now famous as an attractive tourist destination because of a street of stilt houses with stone roofs by the Da Giang River, creating a unique and poetic beauty.

A ceremony was held in Muong Lay township, the northwestern province of Dien Bien on December 31 to publicise the recognition of the Xoe dance and Kin pang Then ritual as national intangible cultural