Nearly 20,000 visitors rushed to a festival to mark the 1,973 rd anniversary of the two Trung sisters’ uprising in Hanoi’s outlying district of Me Linh on February 15, the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

The event, which will run until February 19, honours Trung Trac and Trung Nhi who formed an army to revolt against the Han Chinese invaders. They succeeded in regaining independence for the country, which had been under foreign feudal rule for more than two centuries.

Following a procession and rituals, folk games and music performances got underway.

The same day, in the outlying district of Soc Son, the traditional Soc Son temple festival, known as Giong festival, commenced to commemorate Saint Giong who sacrificed his life fighting En invaders from the north.

The event, with offering rituals and folk games, will run until February 17.

The annual Co Loa festival also got underway, paying tribute to King An Duong Vuong , who founded the Au Lac Kingdom and Co Loa spiral citadel in the fight against invaders.

Meanwhile, thousands of revellers took part in the opening of the Tich Dien–Doi Son festival in Duy Tien district, Ha Nam province.

The annual event originates from the Le dynasty, when in 987, King Le Dai Hanh decided to plough in Doi Son commune, Duy Tien district, to wish for bumper crops.
In celebration of the Lunar New Year, the Thien Truong Antiques Association and the UNESCO club displayed nearly 1,000 artifacts in the provincial Nam Dinh museum.

Exhibits include ceramics, wooden and iron items that date back to the Ly, Tran and Le dynasties.-VNA