In late October, bright yellow wild sunflowers began covering hillsides and roads leading to Chu Dang Ya Volcano in Bien Ho Commune, attracting crowds of visitors taking photographs.
However, some tourists have been picking flowers for photographs, while children from nearby Gri Village have been collecting them to make wreaths for sale.
Pham Thi Hien, a resident of Thong Nhat Ward, said she visits the volcano with her family every flowering season to enjoy the scenery.
"If everyone picks flowers for photographs, visitors arriving later will miss out on the area's natural beauty," she said.
Dang Khanh Toan, vice chairman of the Bien Ho Commune People's Committee, said local authorities had launched an online campaign with the message "Please leave the flowers on the hillsides."
Visitors are being encouraged to admire and photograph the flowers without picking them or breaking branches, particularly along roads leading to the volcano.
The commune has installed warning signs and visited local households to discourage children from picking flowers to sell to tourists.
Toan said tourism-related businesses should also operate responsibly to avoid damaging the natural landscape.
The campaign comes as the 2026 Gong Festival and Wild Sunflower Week takes place in Ia Gri Village from October 30 to November 8.
The festival features traditional music and ethnic musical instrument performances, markets showcasing local products and an exhibition of Gia Lai's gong culture.
Highlights include concerts on November 7 and 8 featuring popular Vietnamese performers.
Singer-songwriter Vinh Khuat is expected to perform a song dedicated to Gia Lai, while rapper Den Vau and his team will present "Nhung Em Be Mat Troi" (Children of the Sun), which recently topped YouTube Vietnam's trending chart.
