If you come to Vietnam and don’t have a chance to experience one of the 10 UNIQUE FESTIVALS TO EXPLORE DURING YOUR VIETNAM TOUR below, you will surely regret it! Why are we so assertive? The answer will be found easily in the following article!
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL IN VIETNAMESE CULTURE
For a long time, the presence of rural festivals and villages has become a traditional culture essential in Vietnamese life. Festivals are not just an occasion to meet, sing or play, they also bring many deep meanings. These include:
- Recreate a certain period of Vietnamese history to help the next generation better understand their origins and be proud of the national culture
- Strengthen the spirit of community. At festival, people living in the area will have the opportunity to meet, chat, exchange or purchase items; Thanks to it, they interact and connect with each other
- Express very well a unique regional culture
- Actively support tourism to promote the image of the country and the Vietnamese population. Thanks to this, it arouses curiosity and the desire to explore a large number of foreign tourists, partly by helping the Vietnamese tourism market to develop in a stable way
Each year in Vietnam, there are hundreds, or thousands, of large and small festivals spread across all provinces of Vietnam. In all the festivals in Vietnam, the Vietnamese culture manifests itself the most unique and the most attractive through the following 10 festivals.
10 UNIQUE FESTIVALS TO EXPLORE DURING YOUR VIETNAM TOUR VIETNAM TOUR
As we said above, festivals are a unique part of Vietnamese culture. It attracts the curiosity of many domestic and foreign tourists. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to come to Vietnam, you should consult and choose the right time to try to immerse yourself in one of the festivals below. Believe that they will bring you very different, very interesting and memorable experiences.
1. Hung temple festival
Occurred on the commemoration day of the Hung Kings (March 10 according to the lunar calendar – or the beginning of April of the solar calendar) to commemorate and express gratitude to the Hung Kings who built the country from the start.
This festival takes place at Hung temple, Viet Tri, Phu Tho province. The ceremony generally takes place on March 1st with many folk activities and ends with the festival on March 10 with a procession to bring and offer incense to the Temple.
In Vietnam, March 10 according to the lunar calendar is a big day in February, also a holiday as in labor law. On this occasion, people in many places often organize time to travel and relax. Most of them can never forget to come to the Hung temple to participate in the celebration and to burn incense to commemorate the national heroes.
In addition, many foreign tourists have the opportunity to learn and explore a unique culture from here. If you have the opportunity to travel to Vietnam during this period, do not miss the opportunity to experience this holiday!
2. Huong Pagoda Festival
It takes place from January 6 to the beginning of March according to the lunar calendar (from February to April according to the solar calendar) each year in My Duc district – Hanoi. It is one of the most typical festivals in Northern Vietnam.
By participating in the Huong Pagoda Festival, you will have the opportunity to visit the charming landscape of Huong Son and learn about the region of “Buddhist Land” which has been told that Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva appeared and led a time in his religious life. Don’t hesitate to save this festival in your wish list for a chance to visit in future?
3. Yen Tu Festival
This festival lasts from January 10 to the end of March according to the lunar calendar (from early February to late April according to the solar calendar) in Yen Tu mountain, Thuong Yen Cong commune, Uong Bi city, Quang Ninh province.
Yen Tu has always been known as the Buddhist center of ancient Vietnam. Coming here, visitors will be able to appreciate the fresh and peaceful atmosphere, integrate into the Buddhist world without chaos, without resentment and almost “like Eden”. It will be an experience that no other place can bring you.
And yet, participating in the Yen Tu festival will allow visitors a chance to visit, admire, participate in traditional games, traditional martial arts,…
Yen Tu festival also includes many other activities such as: coming to Truc Lam, offering incense to the Buddha,… In addition, the Buddhist stories, the deep lessons on moral laws will also help you to choose the good way to treat others. You will understand more and more tolerance when you get back to daily life.
From the ideas above, it is believed to be an interesting thing not to be missed when you have the opportunity to visit Vietnam at the start of the year.
4. Ban flower festival
In February according to the lunar calendar (March according to the solar calendar), when the Ban flowers bloom in the mountains, the members of Thai ethnic group in the mountainous region of the North-West come alive with Ban flower festival (also called Xen Muong festival, Xen villages).
It is said that there was a girl named Khom and a boy named Tao Lu, they love each other very much. However, this love is not accepted by the family. Because they could not break up with each other, they fled to Tham Dong Ngoang (i.e. Tham Le cave now). Shortly after, he fell ill and died and turned into To Manh Lu. She missed him so much and cannot accept the fact that she has to marry another, so she fled into the forest. The trip stopped when she was exhausted and fell. At her place is a tree with white flowers, sweet honey and aromas. Later, people called it the Ban flower.
Today, Ban flower is becoming the typical plant in the northwestern mountains. This shows the strong and lasting attachment of the love of couples. At the same time, it is associated with the wishes of the Muong people for a prosperous life, good harvests. Therefore, the Ban Flower Festival becomes an indispensable annual activity.
There, people often gather to organize games, sing love songs, compete or exchange items under the moonlight.
5. Cau Ngu Festival
Going out of the North, you can discover the central region with the unique Cau Ngu festival organized by the inhabitants of Thai Duong Ha village, Thuan An city, Phu Vang district, Thua Thien – Hue province in January 12 according to the lunar calendar (beginning of February according to the solar calendar) each year.
The main purpose of this celebration is to remind the tutelary god of the village, Mr. Truong Quy Cong. He taught the poor here how to fish and make a living from jobs around the sea.
In addition, this activity also testifies to the desire of the inhabitants of the fishing villages to have a good year and calm waves, catching a lot of fishes and seafoods for a stable economy.
In Cau Ngu festival, visitors will learn or participate in unique folk games describing the fishing sector, describing the daily life of fishermen attached to the sea all year round. From there, you will get new feelings about the hard lives of the people here.
6. Lam Kinh Festival
It takes place on August 22 according to the lunar calendar each year (around mid-September according to the solar calendar) on the Lam Kinh relic site in Xuan Lam – Tho Xuan – Thanh Hoa. It is the birthplace of Le Loi – a famous hero in Vietnamese history and a number of famous generals who contributed to the uprising of Lam Son. Here too, you can learn more about Vietnamese culture through the royal relics of Le Dynasty in Vietnamese history.
As a result, Lam Kinh holiday is an opportunity for all Vietnamese to come here and burn incense to pay homage to the national heroes who greatly contributed to the fight against the Ming enemies of antiquity.
The holiday is part of a solemn procession, followed by an offering of incense. In parallel, visitors can participate in traditional folk games, immerse themselves in unique folk dances and visit ancient and peaceful landscapes of Lam Kinh.
7. Kate festival
It is a big celebration organized by the Cham people in the 2 provinces of Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan. The festival takes place at Poklong Garai tower or the other Cham towers in this area on July 1 according to the Cham calendar (around October according to the solar calendar) each year.
The purpose of this celebration is to commemorate the national heroes, their ancestors, their gods and their kings who contributed to the construction and development of their community. In the festival, there was a custom of offering sacrifices, changing clothes for the king, reciting sutras and singing folk songs, finally the sacred dance of Ba Bong in the tower.
Each year, Kate festival attracts many visitors to come and gain memorable experiences. The unique cultural characteristics of the Cham community make tourists curious and eager to learn.
8. Buffalo-stabbing festival
Occurs around March or April according to the lunar calendar (around April or May according to the solar calendar) in certain areas of ethnic minorities in the Tay Nguyen highlands and in the north-eastern region. This is also a time for residents to take a break to prepare for a new harvest.
The buffalo, along with the locals at Tay Nguyen, is seen as a scapegoat for bringing prosperity. Therefore, they organized buffalo-stabbing festival to express their wish for a good harvest.
In the celebration, after the ritual of worshiping the gods, the buffaloes will be tied to the stump of the tree located in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by spectators. They sang and danced with gongs. Next, a group of strong young men from the village come to stab the buffalo. After being killed, the buffalo meat will be transformed into typical dishes and shared for the pleasure of the whole village.
On the occasion of the buffalo stabbing festival, visitors will have a chance to taste the buffalo meat, enjoy the central Tay Nguyen gong space and many other interesting things related to the nature of the mountains.
9. Ms. Chua Xu festival
It is the most typical folk festival of the southern region of Vietnam, which takes place in the night of April 23 to 27 according to the lunar calendar (around mid-May, according to the solar calendar), at Ms. Chua Xu temple in Sam mountain, An Giang province.
In the festival, there will be many typical activities such as: bathing Ms. Chua Xu ritual, special folk games,… In addition, participating in the festival is also an opportunity for you to visit and admire the beauty of the charming landscapes with Sam mountain, Tay An pagoda, Thoai Ngoc Hau tomb,… everything in Vietnamese culture.
10. Ok Om Bok festival
This is a special festival of the South Khmer community, also called the Khmer ceremony for the full moon, which takes place on the full moon day of October according to the lunar calendar (around mid-November of the solar calendar) every year.
According to Khmer beliefs, the moon is considered to be the “god” to protect their crops. Therefore, the moon worship ritual takes place to express gratitude and pray for a warm and harmonious life.
After the ritual, participants and visitors will join the festival with a beautiful race.
So, from the North, the Center to the South of the S-shaped country (Vietnam), we came together to learn more about the most typical festivals. Hopefully, thanks to the above sharing, readers, as well as tourists, have made suitable plans for their next trip to Vietnam. If you have any questions, need advice, assistance, do not hesitate to contact us through:
- No 27 4No Street, Phu My Ward, District 7, 710000 Ho Chi Minh City
- Telephone (WhatsApp, Viber, Sky): (+84) 932 619 516
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