The My Long Sea Worshipping Festival, an annual cultural activity of fishermen in Cau Ngang district, the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh, has been recognised as a piece of the country’s intangible cultural heritage.

This is the locality’s third intangible cultural heritage recognition, following the southern art of ‘don ca tai tu’ amateur singing and ‘cham rieng cha pay’, a type of folk music practiced by the Khmer ethnic people in Tan Hiep commune, Tra Cu district.

The newest title is expected to help Cau Ngang district and the province in general introduce the local culture to people both in and outside of Vietnam, thus promoting tourism development in the locality.

The traditional festival is held from the 10 th to the 12 th of the fifth lunar month every year in My Long town. It is a chance for local fishermen to express their gratitude towards the Sky, Earth, Sea and their ancestors, and pray for good weather and bumper fish hauls.

Organised for the first time in 1920, the annual festival attracts thousands of visitors every year.-VNA