Hung Kings' Commemoration Day: Returning to the roots
The Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day is viewed as a celebration of great importance among Vietnamese people. It also acts as a symbol of cultural value, great solidarity, and sense of gratitude and worship of the ancestors of Vietnamese people.
A performance of Xoan singing in ancient villages at cultural relic sites in Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA)🍸 - Every year on the 10th day of the third lunar month, many Vietnamese from all walks of life join a pilgrimage to the ancestor land in Viet Tri city of Phu Tho province.
The Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day is viewed as a celebration of great importance among Vietnamese people. It also acts as a symbol of cultural value, great solidarity, and sense of gratitude and worship of the ancestors of Vietnamese people.
Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang, a local resident of Phu Ninh district, Phu Tho province, said that her family traditionally visits the Hung Kings Temple to offer incense on the day. “This year, we decided to take a night tour to the temple to fully embrace the sacred and peaceful atmosphere of this holy land,” she said.
Hoang Thi Xuan, a visitor from Hanoi who has come to the Hung Kings Temple multiple times, shared that climbing to the Thuong (Upper) Temple at night to pay homepage to the Hung Kings gave her a deeper sense of reverence for the space and the spiritual essence of the ancestral worship tradition.
Nguyen Huy Thang, a Vietnamese expatriate from Germany, echoed this sentiment, saying that the pilgrimage to the ancestral land is a meaningful way to reconnect with the cultural identity of the homeland and to teach future generations about their origins.
According to Nguyen Manh Dong, Vice Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, the Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day is a national holiday in Vietnam and holds great cultural and emotional importance for Vietnamese communities abroad. Each year, Vietnamese embassies and community organisations worldwide organise celebrations to mark the occasion.
Currently, Phu Tho province is home to 345 places of worship dedicated to the Hung Kings. The Hung Kings Temple Historical Complex, covering over 800 hectares, has been developed into the nation’s largest spiritual-cultural park. It serves as the central hub for worship of the Hung Kings with solemn and respectful ceremonies.
The Hung Kings’ Commemoration and the Cultural and Tourism Week of the Ancestral Land 2025 will take place from March 29 to April 7 (the 1st to the 10th days of the third lunar month), featuring around 30 activities at the Hung Kings Temple Complex.
A bronze drum performance at the Hung Kings Museum. (Photo: VNA)
Nguyen Huy Ngoc, Vice Chairman of the Phu Tho provincial People's Committee, described the festival as a “golden opportunity” to promote the cultural heritage of Phu Tho and attract tourists from across the country.
The Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day will be solemnly and respectfully held in accordance with national cultural traditions. Meanwhile, the event will include a wide variety of cultural, sports, and tourism activities, creating a joyful and vibrant atmosphere infused with the spirit of ancestral culture.
The event will feature a special exhibition featuring historical documents and artefacts from the Hung Kings era, a banh chung (square sticky rice cake) and banh day (round glutinous rice cake) making contest, folk music performances, and various recognised intangible cultural heritage displays such as xoan singing, chau van (Vietnamese Spiritual Singing), love duet folk singing and cheo (Vietnamese traditional opera).
Nguyen Dac Thuy, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, emphasised that the organising committee is committed to ensuring safe, respectful, and memorable experiences for all attendees, contributing to widespread public engagement and satisfaction.
One of the standout features of this year’s celebration is the “Ancient Village Xoan Singing” programme, a unique cultural offering that has been part of the Hung Kings Festival since 2013. Now a beloved tradition, it has become a spiritual and artistic highlight for visitors from near and far./.
In the heart of every Vietnamese person, the Hung Kings are the ones who established the first state of Vietnam, and the common ancestors of the Vietnamese people, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina Ngo Minh Nguyet.
According to the site management board, over 32,000 visitors came to the Hung Kings Temple, with more than 20,000 arriving on March 30 and 12,000 on March 29.
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