Phu Tho (VNA) – The northern province of Phu Tho welcomed nearly 6.5 million visitors during the 2026 Hung Kings Commemoration Day and the Hung Kings Temple Festival, representing a year-on-year 12%, reinforcing its status as one of the leading cultural and spiritual tourism destinations of the country.
According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this year’s festival and the Ancestral Land Culture - Tourism Week 2026 featured a wide range of activities across the Hung Kings Temple historical relic site and surrounding areas, drawing pilgrims and tourists from major cities including Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and Ho Chi Minh City.
Local officials said visitor patterns continued to evolve, with more families and young travellers combining pilgrimage with short cultural and leisure trips. Many visitors also extended their stays to explore nearby eco-tourism and wellness destinations, helping boost tourism spending and lengthen stays.
Nguyen Thi Hong Thuy, Deputy Director of the department, said 2026 marks the first year the locality has organised the festival within its newly expanded development space, with many notable highlights.
This year’s festival featured a blend of traditional rituals and new tourism experiences, including Xoan singing performances, folk street festivals, contests recreating the making of chung and day cakes linked to the Hung Kings legend, night tours at the Hung Kings Temple, art performances and fairs showcasing local specialties.
A high-altitude fireworks display at Van Lang Park in Viet Tri also emerged as a major draw, contributing to high occupancy rates at local accommodation facilities during peak days.
The surge in arrivals generated spillover benefits for hospitality, transport, trade and entertainment services, with many businesses upgrading services and introducing new products to meet growing and more diverse demand.
The province also rolled out tourism stimulus campaigns under the themes “Phu Tho – Come to Love” and “Phu Tho Tourism – A Multicolour Experience,” aimed at broadening the destination’s appeal beyond pilgrimage tourism.
Online travel platform Agoda reported accommodation searches for Phu Tho rose five-fold in the month leading up to the festival compared to the same period last year, particularly during the main celebrations from April 24-26.
Phan Trong Tan, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the positive results underscored tourism’s growing role as a key economic sector and supported the province’s ambition to become a national centre for cultural and festival tourism.
Under its development strategy to 2030, Phu Tho aims to welcome around 20 million visitors annually, including nearly 8 million overnight guests, and generate about 26.5 trillion VND (over 1 billion USD) in tourism revenue./.
Hung Kings festival opens with vibrant cultural, tourism activities in Phu Tho
Beyond its role as a sacred national commemoration, the event helps promote cultural values, strengthen national unity and enhance cultural exchanges. A notable feature is the flexible organisation in 18 commune and ward clusters, encouraging the localities' participation and enriching the festival’s content.
