Hotels in the far northern province of Ha Giang are booked in advance of the Buckwheat Flower Festival which won't start until November.

Buckwheat flowers bloom

Because of the huge demand for accommodation, guest houses, hotels and motels in Dong Van can't host the large number of expected visitors, meaning many people will have to sleep in the markets or Dong Van Stadium.

Tong Thu Hien, vice director of Thang Long GTC Tourism Company, said people have flocked to Ha Giang since mid-October, when the buckwheat flowers started to bloom.

From Friday to Sunday of October 23 to 25, Ha Giang received 12,388 visitors, while numbers shot up in the last three days of last week to just over 7,000.

People flock to Ha Giang

In order to prepare for the festival, the provincial tourism association had to add 140 four-person tents and 20 seven-person tents. Authorities in Meo Vac District planted flowers in the shapes of stars, triangles or waves to attract visitors. Entertainment and food areas that provide Dong Van's specialties will also be added.

Various activities will be held as part of the event such as an H’Mong panpipe festival and a tourism fair and a photo exhibition about the Dong Van Karst Plateau, which was recently recognised as a member of the Global Network of National Geoparks for the 2015-2018 period.

The festival will be held from November 12 to 15.