Phu Tho: festival dedicated to nation’s legendary mother
A festival dedicated to Mother Au Co – the legendary mother of Vietnam – opened in Hien Luong commune of Ha Hoa district, the northern province of Phu Tho, on February 22.
A palanquin procession taking offerings to the Au Co Temple (Photo: VNA)
Phu Tho (VNA) - A festival dedicatedto Mother Au Co – the legendary mother of Vietnam – opened in Hien Luongcommune of Ha Hoa district, the northern province of Phu Tho, on February 22(or the seventh day of the first month of the Year of the Dog).
The festival began with a ritual worshipping theguardian deity at the local communal house. A palanquin procession took offeringsfrom the communal house to the Au Co Temple to pray for peace, good weather,prosperity and happiness.
The Au Co Temple festival marked the startof festive activities in Phu Tho in spring.
The temple was built under the reign of King LeThanh Tong (15th century) and named a national historical and cultural relicsite in 1991. On January 23, 2017, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourismrecognised the worship of Mother Au Co at the temple as part of the nationalintangible cultural heritage.
A ritual at the opening ceremony (Photo: VNA)
Legend has it that Au Co, who was a fairy,descended to earth on the seventh day of the first lunar month. She met withLac Long Quan and gave birth to 100 sons. Fifty of them followed their fatherto the sea and the other half followed their mother to the mountains in theupstream Red River.
When they arrived in the area which is now HienLuong commune, Au Co and her children were so captivated by the area’sfertility and stunning landscapes that they decided to settle there, and thiswas where the eldest son was crowned as Hung King – the legendary founder ofVietnam.
The festival draws crowds of people (Photo: VNA)
Mother Au Co taught locals to practise waterrice cultivation, plant mulberry trees, and breed silk worms before returning toheaven on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month.
Vietnam has about 8,000 festivals each year. Ofwhich, nearly 90 percent are traditional festivals, 6 percent are religiousones and 4 percent are historical ones.-VNA
Sport games take place during the festival (Photo: VNA)
Traditional rituals were held in the northern province of Phu Tho to commemorate the death anniversary of the nation’s legendary founder Lac Long Quan and mother Au Co.
About ten thousand of people visited the Hung Kings Temples Complex in the northern province of Phu Tho on the Lunar New Year’s Day to pay tribute to the founders of the nation.
New-year writing, buffalo decorating, Duom Temple and Mother Au Co Festivals are among the many cultural activities that take place across Vietnam in the upcoming festival season of the lunar new year.
The northern midland province of Phu Tho is aiming to hold a hugely successful Hung Kings Temple festival in 2017, heard a conference to review planning for the festival on March 15.
The northern province of Phu Tho on March 21 received a certificate recognising the Mother Au Co worship as part of the national intangible cultural heritage.
Hundreds of photos and items on Hung King worshipping rituals and over 500 antiquities from the era of the Hung Kings (estimated around 3,000 B.C) to the 19th century are on display at Hung Vuong Museum in Viet Tri city, the northern province of Phu Tho.
The northern province of Phu Tho held rituals on April 2 (the sixth day of the third lunar month) to commemorate the death anniversary of the nation’s legendary Great Father Lac Long Quan and pay incense tribute to Great Mother Au Co.
The annual pilgrimage festival honouring the Vietnamese people’s ancestors, the Hung Kings, will be held in the northern province of Phu Tho between April 21 and 25.
The Vietnamese team will gather on June 26 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, where they will train until July 14 before departing for Indonesia for the ASEAN U23 Championship 2025, which runs from July 15 to 29. Vietnam will face Laos on July 19 and Cambodia on July 22 in the group stage.
The exhibition showcases more than 100 valuable documents and artifacts, divided into two main parts: “Journalist Nguyen Ai Quoc – Ho Chi Minh” and “President Ho Chi Minh – Founder and Mentor of Vietnamese Revolutionary Press.” This is an opportunity to recall the late leader’s journalism journey and affirm his exceptional role in founding and guiding the revolutionary press in Vietnam.
For the first time, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has granted Vietnam hosting rights for the two championships, including the Asian women’s solo category, which debuts this year as an officially recognised event.
Eight teams will join the tournament, divided into two groups. Group A features Vietnam, the Philippines, Sichuan Club (China), and Australia, while Group B consists of Vietnam U21, Korabelka Club (Russia), Taiwan (China), and U21 Thailand.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
A palanquin procession taking offerings to the Au Co Temple (Photo: VNA) 
A ritual at the opening ceremony (Photo: VNA) 
The festival draws crowds of people (Photo: VNA) 
Sport games take place during the festival (Photo: VNA)
