Photo: Vietnam Pictorial

Vietnam has a unique and long-standing culture associated with the history of formation and development of the nation. Vietnamese cultural identity is expressed in many areas of life and society, including traditional festivals.

Festivals in Vietnam exist in a variety of forms and rituals throughout 3 regions of the country. It is estimated that in Vietnam there are nearly 8,000 festivals held annually, most of which are traditional festivals.

Festival activities include activities with a ceremony and festival section. The "ceremony" part is a gesture of people to show respect to each other, as well as to the symbols of the faith. These gestures constitute customs in life or rituals in beliefs... And "association" is a large gathering of people to practice performances, perform customs, beliefs, cultural forms, religions, arts, entertainment, social spiritual activities...

Gong fighting, a unique art of the Cor ethnic group (Photo: congthuong.vn)

Thus, it can be seen that, although it is a community cultural activity, the festival always performs the "ceremony" part, to show respect, gratitude, life before and after for those who have had merits throughout the history of building and preserving, preserving and promoting the independence and culture of the nation. The ethic of "drinking water to remember the source" is forged and continued from year to year, from generation to generation, as a continuous flow of time through many activities, including traditional festivals of the nation. The "festival" part is one of the indispensable contents of the festival, stemming from the needs of life, making the festival more "soft", more "vital".

Traditional festivals are milestones marking the cycle of productive life and social life of each human community.  

The festival is also an opportunity to bring the community together. Every festival belongs to and belongs to a certain community of people, which can be the village community (village society), religious community, ethnic community ... Community cohesion to show the spirit of solidarity, sharing the same desire for peace, warmth ...

Each traditional festival in each place has a different cultural nuance, expressing cultural concepts, ways of thinking, customs and practices characteristic of people and lands.  

The ritual of carrying the god Kapila around the main hall 3 times to celebrate the new year is under the direction of Mr. Acha (Photo: Bao tin tuc)

Singing Then on Na Nua lake, Tan Trao commune (Son Duong) (Photo: Bao Tuyen Quang)

In traditional festivals, many unique cultural features have been preserved, preserved, promoted, creating cultural values of the nation along the axis of time. Therefore, traditional festivals, even if they appear, are born for hundreds or thousands of years, even for some reason interrupted for a certain period of time, they are still preserved and handed down to the next generation. In the contemporary generation, foreign visitors can easily be "seen", "heard", felt ... cultural features from thousands of generations of ancestors through traditional festivals. Try to do the opposite, if there are no traditional festivals to reproduce, restore, revive ancient rituals and cultural beauties... No matter how rich and diverse the traditional culture of our ancestors is, perhaps the next generation can only use imagination or search in literature, history ... on the journey to find traditional cultural beauty. The value of creativity and cultural enjoyment is clearly seen in traditional festivals.

However, with the characteristics of "continuing" culture, although it is a traditional festival, activities and rituals ... of the old days, when placed in the current context is no longer relevant, there has been adjustment and change. Thus, although the traditional festival has long-standing values, it is always for people, for the community and catching up with the trend of civilization and progress of the times.

The traditional festival has existed for generations with Vietnamese cultural identity as its own values, deeply rooted in human life, mind and spirituality. Those values affirm an indispensable part of culture in today's life. It is the pride and pride of national culture that has been molded and tested over time.

Source: toquoc.vn

Photo: Collected

NDO - National Tourism Year - Dien Bien 2024 is a typical cultural-economic-social event on a national and international scale, especially associated with the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (7 May 1954 - May 7, 2024).

According to news from the General Department of Tourism, on November 13, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 3462/QD-BVHTTDL approving the Project to organize the National Tourism Year - Dien Bien 2024.

Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum (Photo by Department of Culture, Sports, Tourism of Dien Bien Province)

The organization of the National Tourism Year aims to contribute to raising awareness at all levels, sectors, and people about the position, role, and importance of tourism activities in socio-economic development.

This is an opportunity to introduce and promote the beauty of tangible and intangible cultural values, resources, and unique tourism products of the people, the country of Vietnam in general and Dien Bien province in particular.

The Plan is that Dien Bien province strives to welcome 1.3 million tourists by 2024; Total revenue from tourism activities will reach 2,200 billion VND; contributing to the breakthrough development of tourism, creating motivation for socio-economic development of Dien Bien province in the following years.

Through the organization of the National Tourism Year - Dien Bien 2024, it also aims to improve the quality of tourism programs, while exploiting new tourist destinations and tourist routes that are diverse, attractive, and suitable to the demands of tourists who visit Dien Bien province.

National Tourism Year - Dien Bien 2024 will strengthen tourism development links between provinces and cities in the country and countries/territories around the world to promote international integration and create favorable conditions for revenue, attract resources to develop tourism, enhance the position and image of the country and people of Vietnam in general and Dien Bien province in particular.

According to the plan, the Opening Ceremony of "National Tourism Year - Dien Bien 2024" and the Ban Flower Festival are expected to take place in March 2024 in Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien Province. The program is expected to be broadcast live on Vietnam Television and relayed on Radio-Television stations in some provinces and cities.

The Closing Ceremony of "National Tourism Year - Dien Bien 2024" is expected to take place at the end of December 2024 in Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien Province, including a cultural and artistic performance program, handing over the flag to the locality hosting the 2025 National Tourism Year.

It is expected that the Organizing Committee will hold a press conference to introduce the National Tourism Year - Dien Bien 2024 in the first quarter of 2024 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to provide information about the program and preparations for organizing the National Tourism Year - Dien Bien 2024 to central and local news and press agencies.

According to the program, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will preside and coordinate to organize 13 cultural, sports and tourism activities and events. Dien Bien province will host 28 activities and events. In addition, there will be many special activities and events organized by municipal cities.

Dien Bien is a mountainous province, the border is located in the Northwest of the country, a land with a long history of formation and development, and a particularly important geographical, defense, and security position. Besides, Dien Bien has a diverse terrain, fresh climate, many majestic natural landscapes, heroic history, and unique cultures of ethnic groups. With the above characteristics, Dien Bien province Bien has much potential to build and develop diverse types and products of tourism such as historical-spiritual tourism, cultural and ecological tourism, resort tourism, entertainment, and health care.

The year 2024 is an important year with historical milestones for the people of all ethnic groups in Dien Bien province - celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954-May 7, 2024), 115 years of establishment of the province (June 28, 1909-June 28, 2024), 75 years of establishment of the Provincial Party Committee (October 10, 1949-October 10, 2024), 20 years of separation and establishment of Dien Bien province (January 1, 2004 - January 1, 2024), and 270 years of Hoang Cong Chat's army liberating Muong Thanh.

The organization of the National Tourism Year - Dien Bien 2024 will create an important driving force to promote the mobilization of development investment resources and strengthen socio-economic infrastructure, exploit local potentials and advantages, develop the economy, ensure social security, reduce poverty quickly and sustainably, improve the material and spiritual life of the people, preserve and promote the values ​​of cultural identities of ethnic groups and national historical relics, especially Dien Bien Phu Battlefield.

National Tourism Year - Dien Bien 2024 also contributes to stimulating domestic and international tourism demand, restoring tourism activities in the new normal, creating a step to develop tourism into a key economic sector, and building Dien Bien province into one of the tourism centers of the Northern Midlands and Mountains region.

Source: Nhân Dân

Photo: VGP/Diệp Anh

Traditional festivals are unique cultural forms, spiritual products of 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam, passed down from generation to generation. Festival activities as a living museum about customs, customs, unique lifestyles and characteristics of each ethnic group and each locality. This is also an event to remember and express the gratitude of the people to the gods and national heroes who have meritorious contributions to the community and the country. Join Rong Viet travel company to discover the TOP 10 most unique festivals of Vietnam through the article below.

1. Hung Temple Festival

The Hung Kings Temple Festival or Hung Kings Commemoration Day is a traditional ritual held annually on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month at Hung Temple, Viet Tri City, Phu Tho Province; to commemorate and express gratitude for the founding merits of the Hung Kings, the first kings of the nation. The worship of Hung Vuong has been inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (batch 1) by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Before the main annual holiday, the festival takes place with many folklore activities and ends on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month with a procession and offering of incense at the Upper Temple.

Photo: baoquocte.vn

2. Hoi Lim

Hoi Lim is the largest festival in Bac Ninh attracting visitors to visit and celebrate in early spring with special programs, listening to mandarin tunes and many folk games. Not only has the symbolic meaning of the spirit and spiritual culture of the people of Tonkin, the Lim Association also reminds future generations of remembering the merits of their predecessors and educating them to preserve the traditional beauty of the nation.

The festival takes place over 3 days, from January 12 to 14 of the lunar calendar every year, with the most crowded on the main festival day January 13. The Lim Festival takes place in 3 locations: Lim town, Noi Due commune and Lien Bao.

Photo: moitruong.net.vn

3. Tran Nam Dinh Temple Association

The Tran Temple Festival is held from the 15th to 20th day of the eighth lunar month every year at the Tran Temple relic in Loc Vuong Ward, Nam Dinh City, Nam Dinh Province to pay tribute to the merits of 14 Tran kings.

Traveling to Nam Dinh to the Tran Temple ruins in the festival tourist season, visitors will admire the unique architectural complex of the Tran Dynasty, and at the same time be immersed in the bustling atmosphere of the Festival. Even years are bigger than odd-numbered years. But without waiting for the association itself, visitors from all over the world flocked to Chen Temple for pilgrimage, wishing for good and prosperity.

Photo: Vivu Travel

4. Giong Society

Hoi Giong is a large and unique festival commemorating Saint Giong, one of the "immortal" saints of Vietnamese folk beliefs, Hoi Giong is also the most unique festival of Vietnamese people in the Tonkin Delta that has existed through thousands of years of history.

Currently, the Northern Delta has many places to worship Phu Dong Thien King of Saint Giong, but the main association is still in Phu Dong village (Gia Lam, Hanoi) where His Holiness Giong was born and Phu Linh (Soc Son, Hanoi) where Saint Giong incarnate, this unique Giong Association meets the criteria of the intangible cultural heritage representing humanity, preserved by the community, passed down from generation to generation, preserved as part of its cultural identity, containing creations, expressing the aspiration for a prosperous and peaceful life.

Every year, the Orthodox Giong Festival is held on the 8th and 9th day of the 4th lunar month at Phu Dong temple and surrounding areas.

Photo: Collected

5. Cage Tong Festival of the Tay people

Cage Tong Festival, also commonly known as the festival of going down to the field, is a festival of the Tay ethnic people, also a gathering of the most typical cultural nuances of ethnic groups such as Nung, Dao, Shanzhi.... It is considered a religious activity to pray to heaven for favorable rain, good trees, good harvests, warm life, where the festival is held in the best and largest fields. There is still no research document, confirming when this 

festival existed. But certainly, the origin of the festival must have been born from the society of the Tay people who lived as villages in the community.

The time of the festival depends on each place to suit the terrain. Localities close to each other can agree to choose different dates to have conditions for exchange and exchange. Every year in Tuyen Quang, the festival is usually held on January 8th.

Photo: Bao Nhan Dan

6. Ponagar Nha Trang Tower Festival

Nha Trang Ponagar Tower Festival takes place annually from the 20th to 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month, at Ponagar Tower relics, in Vinh Phuoc ward, Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province.

This is a symbol of national unity, contributing to the elements of community cohesion of ethnic groups in the Central Strip. The festival is an activity that contributes to preserving the national cultural identity. Rituals, worship items, traditional costumes, ball dances, ancient plays... Reproduced in the festival has met the creative needs, as well as the needs of the people to enjoy culture.  

Photo: Collected

7. Nghinh Ong Can Gio Festival

Every year until the full moon day of the eighth lunar month, in Can Gio district, Nghinh Ong festival takes place. This is a traditional folk festival held to honor "His Excellency the Fish", also known as the Nam Hai General, attracting a large number of people to attend the festival. 

As a long-standing folk practice of fishermen, but because Can Gio is located "close to the armpit" of Saigon, there are many people attending. Nowadays, Can Gio district welcomes a large number of tourists and people around the region to attend the ceremony.

Photo: phunuvietnam.vn

8. The Temple of the Lady of Mount Sam

For those who like spiritual tourism, they definitely know the Ba Chua Land Temple built at the foot of Sam Mountain, Chau Doc. This is a top spiritual tourist destination in An Giang with beautiful architecture especially at night.

The Temple Festival of the Lady of the Land is held from the night of April 23rd to the end of the 27th day of the 4th lunar calendar every year.  

Photo: Collected

9. Ninh Binh Hoa Lu Festival

Hoa Lu Traditional Festival (formerly known as Truong Yen Hall, or Co Lau Festival) is the festival of the year of Ninh Binh province, held at the beginning of the 3rd lunar month every year, is an occasion to commemorate two emperors: Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Dai Hanh.

This is a festival imbued with historical value, started when King Ly Cong Uan moved the capital to Thang Long, with rituals that have existed throughout the nation's history, blending in it a little color of folk legends.

Photo: Collected

10. Perfume Pagoda Association

One of the most anticipated January festivals in the North is the Huong Pagoda Festival (Hanoi). Huong Pagoda in Huong Son commune, My Duc district, is one of the attractive spiritual tourist destinations, attracting a large number of tourists, especially at the beginning of the new year.

The festival takes place from the 1st to 3rd month of the lunar calendar, the opening day of the festival is January 6th every year. But the time to attract the most visitors is from the full moon of January to 18/2 of the lunar calendar.

At this time, all temples, pagodas, pagodas and shrines are filled with incense smoke. The festive atmosphere covers Huong Son commune. Participating in the festival, visitors can not only offer incense to pray for peace but also be released into nature, majestic forests and mountains imprinted with Buddha. There, Visitors can also participate in unique national cultural activities such as boating, climbing and paddle singing, Van ...

Photo: Get Your Guide

Source: vietnamdragontravel.vn

Dong Thap is famous for its valuable historical and cultural relics and unique culinary arts, especially Sa Dec ornamental flower village - the flower capital of the West. Sa Dec Flower Village (Dong Thap province) originated as Tan Quy Dong Flower Village, a traditional craft village more than 100 years old. Located on the bank of Tien River, windy all year round, fertile with alluvium, full of sunshine, and known as the land of ornamental flowers, Dong Thap is blessed with tourism potential. Coming to Sa Dec Flower Village, you will admire the breathtaking scene with countless flowers blooming and fragrant.

Introduction to Sa Dec Flower Village

The history of Sa Dec Flower Village dates back to the early 20th century. At that time, in the Tan Quy Dong area, there were only a few households growing flowers to decorate for Tet. Seeing that the flowers bloom beautifully in the soil, gradually the number of flower-growing households increased and the business purpose was determined. Later it spread to areas such as Sa Nhien Canal, An Hoa Ward, Tan Khanh Dong commune, and Ward 3 of Sa Dec City. To date, the total flower growing area is more than 500 hectares, with over 2,300 households, and 2,000 different ornamental flower species, becoming one of the largest ornamental flower gardens in the Mekong Delta and the South.

Local farmers are taking care of flowers

Previously, Tan Quy Dong Ornamental Flower Village only did business according to the "hereditary" model and was not invested properly, so it went through many ups and downs. After entering the integration phase, with the opportunity to apply scientific and technical advances, Tan Quy Dong flower gardens have prospered and received infrastructure investment, adding many new rare flower varieties, building a tissue breeding center, and establishing a wholesale market to consume ornamental flowers... these factors have actively contributed to helping Tan Quy Dong flower village develop, expand and enter its golden age.

Sa Dec Flower Village has originated in the early of 20th century

Today, the characteristics of Sa Dec flower village still retain its distinct features with the image of straight flower beds on the land, because the flowers here are grown on high trellises, below is the encroaching water surface leading from the canals flowing in. During the flood season, people use canoes to weave between flower beds to take care of them.

Flowers here are grown on high trellises, below is the water surface

Sa Dec flower garden is home to many beautiful flowers such as the raspberry chrysanthemum, tiger chrysanthemum, gerbera chrysanthemum, petunia, auspicious, marigold, ten o'clock flower, coconut flower, multiflora, purple evening primrose, pink willow, firecracker shell. In particular, there are about 50 rose varieties for export.

There are many enchanting flowers in this village

This village is also famous for its ornamental plants, some rare and precious plants that are nearly a hundred years old, in addition to very simple and familiar plants such as star fruit, areca nut, fig, and apricot tree. Thanks to meticulous and talented green thumbs, flowers from artisans have become ornamental plants with beautiful and strange shapes.

This is the largest ornamental flower garden in the Mekong Delta

Van Nien Tung in particular is a trendy plant that gardeners humorously classify as the "king" of ornamental plants in the South. From the species Son Tung, Ngoa Tung, Ho Phach Tung, and Japanese Tung, to Kim Quyt, Nguyet Quoi, Yellow Apricot, and Thuy Mat, the artisans have constantly created, forming a world of art that reflects human shapes, containing profound art and philosophy.

Sa Dec flowers are now not only consumed domestically but also exported abroad

With many years of experience and scientific and technical progress, Sa Dec ornamental flowers are now not only present in the Mekong Delta provinces but also exported to countries in the region such as Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Orchids, China... Therefore, this place has become a familiar place for flower connoisseurs.

The best time to visit Sa Dec Flower Village

Coming to visit Tan Quy Dong flower village in Sa Dec, no matter what month of the year you can admire the flowers and take magnificent photos. Especially in spring, the air is cool and flowers begin to bloom. The whole flower village is filled with the vivid colors of thousands of blooming flowers. This is a tourist destination you cannot miss in Sa Dec Dong Thap every Tet holiday.

Near the Lunar New Year is the time when the flower village is at its most beautiful

Tourists visiting Sa Dec flower village need to pay attention to the time because, after the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, almost all gardeners have delivered flowers to other provinces and cities. Therefore, to see the true beauty of the flower village, you should take the time to visit before December 23 (Lunar calendar).

How to get to Flower Village

From Ho Chi Minh City, traveling to Sa Dec Flower Village is quite easy, on convenient national highways you can take a bus, car, or motorbike to get here. Sa Dec is only about 140km from Saigon with nearly 3 hours of travel. Go to Mien Tay bus station to buy a bus ticket from Saigon to Sa Dec. There are many bus companies and they all depart every hour, so you don't need to worry about the bus's running time. Reputable bus companies are Phuong Trang, Phu Vinh Long, and Loc Dien. The average ticket price ranges from 120,000 VND to 160,000 VND.

If you are in Hanoi or Da Nang because the distance is quite far, the best means of transportation is by plane, you should book tickets early to get cheap prices. The stop you should fly to is Can Tho instead of Saigon. Because Can Tho is only 40km away from Sa Dec.

Visit Sa Dec Flower Village

The main axis is the Sa Nhien - Cai Dao flower road, more than 2km long with thousands of ornamental flowers, all types, colors, and fragrances. Guests can choose to walk, take a tram, or rent a motorbike taxi or motorbike to visit. 

The view from the Flower Village viewing deck

The most noticeable difference between Sa Dec flower village and other flower villages is that the flower beds are planted on high trellises, the bottom is flooded and flower growers have to wear boots or use small boats to care for or pick flowers. According to flower growers here, this helps save costs because most of the flower growing land is renovated rice field land, easily flooded due to low terrain.

During the flood season, farmers use canoes to weave between flower beds to care for them

This place also attracts tourists with Sa Dec flower village cafes with wide open spaces, eye-catchingly decorated with dinghies, buggies, monkey bridges, and thatched tents filled with lovely flowers.

At the beginning of the street is the Flower Village Assembly Hall, with a consultation counter, explanations about Sa Dec flower village, and introduction of specialty products, and souvenirs.

Currently, some households have designed their flower gardens into interesting Homestay tourist destinations such as Frog Flower House, Rose House, and Phong La Vent, where visitors can learn more deeply about Sa Dec Flower Village and spend the night experiencing life with the homeowner. Listening to artisans introduce the stages of growing and caring for different types of flowers and looking at how the farmers personally take care of each flower cluster, you can understand how much hardship they have gone through to produce such brilliant flowers. You may also go to the market with the homeowner and cook delicious local dishes such as chopped dough soup, banh xeo, fermented fish hotpot, and duck cooked with fermented tofu.

According to local people, from the full moon of December (the 12th lunar month), Sa Dec flower gardens begin the harvest season for the traditional Tet holiday. 

Many flowers are in bloom 

The atmosphere is bustling throughout the area, with convoys of vehicles rushing to transport ornamental flowers, then hurriedly going everywhere. Along the riverbank, on the wharf, and under the boats, there are also busy flower markets on the days leading up to Tet.

Farmers are busy harvesting flowers for Tet

The small alleys around the village are also filled with ornamental flowers. In the garden, flower pots are blooming, arranged in long rows on bamboo trellises, forming brilliantly colored carpets. Farmers are busy cutting branches, trimming leaves, taking care of each flower pot, and preparing to take to the market. These days, many tourists come to visit Sa Dec flower village in the spring, making the picture of Dong Thap tourism brighter. It can be said that Sa Dec ornamental flower village has become a poetic spring flower festival of the Southwest region at the end of the year.

Tips on traveling to Sa Dec Flower Village

• The flower road of Sa Dec Flower Village Tourist Area is up to 2-3km. So prepare a good pair of walking shoes.
• You should wear ao dai or beautiful shirts to take Tet photos with thousands of flowers here, you will definitely have many beautiful photos here.
• The weather in the West is quite sunny, you should prepare an umbrella, hat and sunscreen.
• People visiting the flower garden should be careful not to step on the flowers.
• Remember to buy a few flower pots to give as gifts to relatives. Flower prices here are very cheap and there is absolutely no price gouging. After buying, you should ask how to take care of the flowers.

Source: thamhiemmekong.com