Hanoi (VNA) – A large number of cultural festivals took place across Vietnam on February 12, the first full moon in the Year of the Snake, celebrating patriotism, fostering community spirit, and promoting local tourism.
Lao Cai’s Thuong Temple Festival opens
Thousands of residents and tourists gathered beneath a 300-year-old banyan tree in Lao Cai city, the northern province of Lao Cai, to witness the opening of the 2025 Thuong Temple Festival, an annual event held on the first full moon of the year.
The festival honours Tran Quoc Tuan, also known as Tran Hung Dao (1228–1300), a revered military grand commander and national hero. It also aims to pray for peace, prosperity, and bountiful harvests.
Chairman of the Lao Cai municipal People’s Committee Hoang Dang Khoa, also head of the organising committee, noted that the festival has grown from a local tradition into a significant cultural event for the province.
Secretary of the Lao Cai provincial Party Committee Giang Thi Dung beat the ceremonial drum to officially open the festival. Attendees then joined a grand palanquin procession to Thuong Temple to commemorate Tran Quoc Tuan and offer prayers.
The three-day festival (February 10–12) features a range of artistic, cultural, and sport activities, including traditional games, a calligraphy programme, folk art performances, and a poetry night.
Thuong Temple, originally built during the Le Dynasty (1680–1705), was designated a national historical and cultural relic site in 1996. Its festival was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2016.
HCM City's first full moon festival brings traditional customs to life
The 2025 first full moon (Tet Nguyen Tieu) festival in Ho Chi Minh City was organised with various activities in District 5 on February 12 evening.
Hosted by the city’s Department of Culture and Sports in collaboration with the District 5 People’s Committee, the festival showcased the vibrant traditions of the city’s Chinese-Vietnamese community, including lion and dragon dances, folk music, photo and painting exhibitions, calligraphy demonstrations, and traditional games.
A major highlight was a street parade where more than 1,000 performers in traditional attire brought ancient customs to life.
Celebrated in District 5 for over 30 years, the first full moon festival of the local Chinese-origin people was named part of the national intangible cultural heritage in 2020 and has become one of the 19 outstanding annual cultural and artistic events in HCM City.
Kien Giang’s Tao Dan Chieu Anh Cac Festival celebrates literary heritage
In Ha Tien city, the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, a music show was held at Tran Hau Park on February 12 to commemorate the 289th anniversary of the Tao Dan Chieu Anh Cac literary society.
The event honoured Vietnam’s literary traditions and paid tribute to poets and scholars who helped shape the nation’s cultural heritage in the field of literature and arts, while also contributing to local tourism development.
Chairman of the Ha Tien municipal People’s Committee Mai Quoc Thang said people from far and wide gather at the Tao Dan Chieu Anh Cac Festival on the first full moon day each year to take part in literary and poetic activities. He described Ha Tien as a place of natural beauty and literary legacy.
The Tao Dan Chieu Anh Cac society, founded in 1736 by then Governor of Ha Tien Mac Thien Tich, played a crucial role in shaping the region’s literary landscape.
Held annually on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the festival featured poetry recitals, calligraphy demonstrations, book and photo exhibitions, exchanges with writers and poets, and traditional performances. Visitors also took part in a display of local products, a float parade, a lantern release, and a ceremony honoring renowned poets of Ha Tien.
The annual festival aims to not only preserve this heritage but also promote sustainable cultural tourism in Ha Tien and beyond./.
