Entering Son La city, both sides of Le Duan street, Chieng Sinh ward (nearly 10 km) are decorated with the white colour of blooming Ban flowers.

Coming to the city center, beautiful Ban flowers are blooming on Hoang Quoc Viet, Hai Ba Trung and Tran Dang Ninh streets, in Khau Ca Hill area, and at cafes around Vincom Plaza. Coming here, visitors can enjoy delicious drinks, check-in and take photos with Ban flowers, and capture the unique poetic scenery of Son La city.

The Ban flower hill at the Northwest Square is a popular attraction for tourists. Here, Ban trees are planted on hillsides. Visitors can walk under the canopy of Ban trees, take photos and enjoy the fresh, cool air. Along with experiencing Ban flower hills, visitors can also visit the “Uncle Ho with the northwestern ethnic groups” monument.

Together with a group of friends from Hanoi capital city to visit the Northwest Square and take photos with Ban flowers, Hoang Nguyen Thuy Quynh shared, “The most impressive for us are hills of blooming Ban flowers in the Northwest Square and along the roads leading to the city. We hired a makeup artist and photographer to capture beautiful moments with Ban flowers.

Many women choose traditional ao dai (long dress) and the ‘com’ costume of Thai ethnic people to take photos with Ban flowers. Ha Thi Lan, a resident in Son La city, said “Previously, I only saw Ban flowers growing naturally on hillsides and ravines, but in recent years, they have been planted on streets, creating a unique cultural space for the mountainous city of Son La.

The Ban tree has a height of 2-6 m, with a rough, gray trunk and many long branches. Ban flowers have a pleasant fragrance and bloom in spring. They have many colours such as purple, white, and red, but in the Northwest region and Son La, the most popular colour is white. White Ban flowers have five petals and are light purple or pink near the pistil. The petals spread out and flutter in the wind like gentle butterfly wings.

The legend of Ban flower is associated with the faithful and loyal love story of Ban and Khum. The story tells that once upon a time, in the Northwest region, there was a girl named Ban. She was beautiful and elegant and had a captivating voice. Many Muong ethnic boys confessed their love, but her heart was given to Khum, who was good at hunting and farming. But Ban's father criticized Khum for being poor, so he forced her to marry the son of the Muong group’s leader.

Seeing her father and the Muong group’s leader discussing her marriage, Ban ran away to find her lover to rescue her, but Khum went away. Desperate, Ban tied her ‘pieu’ scarf to the stairs of Khum's house and then crossed the mountains and passes to find him. Finally, exhausted, she fell down and died. That place later saw a tree with white flowers blooming in the spring. The Muong people immediately called it “Ban” flower and considered it a flower symbolising the faithful love.

Khum returned and saw that Ban had left, so he went to find her. In the end, he was exhausted and died, turning into a lonely bird. Every spring, when the Ban flowers bloom, the birds sing to call their mate passionately. From then on, every spring, the white Ban flowers bloom in the mountains and forests, boys and girls in Son La invite each other to go to festivals, singing, dancing and expressed their love, as if they want to have a faithful love like that of Ban and Khum.

Lo Van La, a people's artisan of Thai culture in Group 7, To Hieu ward, said that the Ban flower has won the hearts of ethnic minorities in the Northwest, becoming a symbol of mountains and forests, not because it is more beautiful than other flowers, but because it is associated with the faithful and loyal love story of Khum and Ban.

The annual blooming Ban flower season is also the occasion for Thai ethnic people to hold festivals such as: Xen ban, xen muong, Ms. Han, Kin pang then and Ban flower festival. The Thai people also use Ban flowers to decorate their houses and make dishes. They are also used as an offering to pray for good harvests and blessings, and to express great wishes for a peaceful, prosperous, and happy life.

Ban has become a signature flower for the spring in the Northwestern region in general and Son La city in particular. Every March, the Ban flowers are in full bloom, inviting tourists from all walks of life to come and admire them.