A tour to famous spring festivals in Vietnam brings visitors a great chance to learn the history and explore the diverse culture of Vietnam. If you are a festival lover, you surely should consider the following festivals.
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Vieng fair – Nam Dinh Province – One of the unique spring festivals of Vietnam:
Vieng market fair takes place at midnight on 7th January of Lunar Calendar. There are flows of tourists coming to Ngan village to visit the market in Kim Thai commune, Vu Ban district, Nam Dinh province. At the same time, tourists can also attend Phu Giay festival, dedicated to the Goddess Lieu Hanh – one of the Four Immortals in Vietnam. The market is not only a place for trading but also a place where people come to wish for good luck.
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Seal-stamp opening ceremony – Tran Temple, Nam Dinh Province:
Seal-stamp opening ceremony in Tran Temple, Nam Dinh Province is one of the biggest spring festivals of the year. The festival takes place from 11th – 16th January of Lunar Calendar. Besides the time of seal opening ceremony from the late 14th January to the early 15th January, there are many traditional festive activities held during the festival time. These include lion dance, dragon dance, cheo singing, chau van singing, chess, wrestling and martial art performance organized in the Fifth Gate (Ngu Mon) of Tran Temple. Visitors coming to Tran Temple festival mainly wish for success in working by buying or applying for the seal.
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Huong pagoda festival – My Duc district, Hanoi:
Huong Pagoda festival is the longest festival in Vietnam which lasts for three months from the 6th January to the third month of Lunar Calendar. Huong Pagoda is located in My Duc district, 70 kilometers to the south of Hanoi. The festival attracts millions of tourists every year to join the Buddha’s journey – where Bo Tat The Am practices Buddha. Tourists there are also immersed into the scenic view of Yen stream, and the majestic scenery of Huong Tich cave – one of the famous karst caves in Vietnam.
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Ba Chua Kho temple festival – Bac Ninh city:
Ba Chua Kho temple is located in Co Me village, Vu Ninh ward, Bac Ninh city. Ba Chua Kho temple festival takes place on 14th January and attracts a huge number of tourists every year, especially the business people. They come to the ceremony to “borrow” the Ba Chua Kho with the wish for a smooth year and prosperity. Each request must be written in a paper called “so” on which the borrowers need to tell why they borrow, what to do, and especially to say when they will pay it back.
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Lim festival – Tien Du district, Bac Ninh province:
Lim festival is originated from the choir singing of Truong Chi guy in the legend of Truong Chi – My Nuong. This is also a big festival of Kinh Bac area with many cultural, artistic activities and spiritual beliefs. There are also many rituals and folk games, such as the love duet singing (Quan ho), martial arts, wrestling, chess, dances, knitting, rice cooking. Lim festival is held on the 12th and 13th January of Lunar Calendar.
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Dong Da Festival – Hanoi:
The festival takes place annually on the 5th of Lunar New Year at Dong Da, Quang Trung ward, Dong Da district, Hanoi. This is a festival of victory, held to commemorate the glorious achievements of King Quang Trung – the hero in history against foreign invaders of the nation.
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Giong Festival – Gia Lam district, Hanoi:
Giong Festival is a traditional village festival commemorating the merit of Phu Dong Thien Vuong (Thanh Giong), held annually in Phu Dong commune, Gia Lam district, Hanoi on 6th – 8th January of Lunar calendar. The festival takes place with traditional rituals such as ceremonial ceremonies, procession, incense offering, bamboo offering to the Upper Temple of Thanh Giong Temple.
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Hung King’s death Anniversary – Phu Tho city:
The festival takes place on 10th March of Lunar Calendar at the historic Hung Temple, Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province. This is the national holiday to show the national gratitude to Hung Kings, the very first kings of the nation. The ceremony in the main festival consists of two parts: the procession and the incense offering. The festival features many unique folk games. These are xoan singing contest, wrestling contest, tug of war contest, swimming competition, etc.
- Yen Tu Festival – Quang Ninh Province:
Yen Tu festival is held in the historic and scenic area of Yen Tu (in Thuong Yen Cong Commune, Uong Bi district, Quang Ninh province) starting from 10th January to the end of March in Lunar Calendar. Yen Tu Mountain higher than 1,000 m, is considered the land of Buddhism in Vietnam. There are two cable systems, which help shorten the pilgrimage time to Dong Pagoda on the top of the mountain.
- Ba Den Mountain Festival – Tay Ninh Province:
Opening on the 4th January of Lunar Calendar, Ba Den Mountain Festival in Tay Ninh is one of the largest spring festivals in the South of Vietnam. In addition to religious activities, visitors can also participate in watching film shows, art performances, sports competitions, folk games which all show the cultural identity of the province.
The main features of spring festival in Vietnam is that it brings a great time for Vietnamese people to relax after a long and busy working year and when people can worship for good luck, prosperity and a smooth year. When joining these festivals, tourists can both explore Vietnamese culture more and have very fun time with many games and activities. Now, are you ready to start your trip to these famous spring festivals in Vietnam?
Besides festivals, there are a lot of interesting things to do in the lunar new year in Vietnam. Refer the hottest destinations in Vietnam early 2018 here
