The Ban flower in the Northwest, with a light scent and white petals surrounding pink stamens, stands out on hillsides and at street corners, creating a charming and poetic look. The Ban flower is also a symbol of love between couples through the love story of Khum and Ban, carrying the meaning of the faithfulness of Thai ethnic girls. Therefore, the beauty of the Ban flower and the related story have made it an endless source of emotion for every Son La writer and artist.

Born and raised in the land of Son La and the Northwest, artist Le Chuong, Chairman of the provincial Literature and Arts Association, has a thorough understanding of the unique cultural features of this land. The image of the Ban flower is deeply felt by him from subtle and emotional perspectives. For him, this flower is rustic and fragile but also full of beauty and purity. Many works themed “Ban Flower” by artist Le Chuong have won high prizes at painting competitions and exhibitions in the province and nationwide. To him, the Ban flower is beautiful everywhere, but that in Son La city carries its own features that cannot be found in anywhere else.

Artist Le Chuong shared “In painting, to turn the image of the Ban flower into a work, the first thing an artist has to do is go to the site to get emotions, then make sketches based on his/her own feelings and turn the image of the Ban flower into a painting. For me and other artists in my hometown of Son La, the Ban flower is always associated with emotions about the unique beauty of Son La city.

For singer and musician Thanh Xuan, who is working at the Culture and Arts Desk of the provincial Party Committee's Information and Education Board, she also has deep feelings about the Ban flower, which has been present in many of her musical works. Each of her works featuring this flower carries pure beauty, associated with cultural traits of the land and people of her hometown, Son La. Typically, the song "Noc Khum love story" was inspired by the story of the Ban flower with the legendary love of Khum and Ban, which won Prize A at the National Music Festival 2022.

Musician Thanh Xuan said “The Ban flower is an endless source of inspiration for artists to create their literary and artistic works. And so do I, I love this kind of flower, and love its simple but charming petals. Many of my songs mention the Ban flower, such as "Lovely Son La", "Romantic Son La in the afternoon", and "Noc Khum love story". Each has meaningful lyrics, expressing my feelings towards my hometown Son La.”

The Ban flower appears in all art segments, from painting, music, photography, dancing to poetry and literature. Each writer and artist in Son La uses the image of the Ban flower through different lenses, from realistic images to metaphorical and abstract language. However, they all have one thing in common: love for and pride of a cultural symbol of Son La and the Northwest region.