The Long Tong Festival (in Tuyen Quang Province) is the intangible cultural heritage of the nation

On February 21, 2013 (meaning on the 12th in January based on the lunar calendar), Tuyen Quang Provincial People's Committee and Lam Binh District held the Long Tong festival and received a National Intangible Cultural Heritage for "Long Tong Festival of the Tay ethnic people" in Tuyen Quang Province.

The fork dancing around the Con tree

There are many important people attended into the festival. They include of Secretary of Tuyen Quang Province – Mr. Nguyen Sang Vang, Ms. Dang Thi Bich Lien, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Leaders of the departments of the Tuyen Quang province, other visitors and the people of all nationalities in Lam Binh district.

There is the temple named Pu Bao, which is considered to be very sacred to the Tay ethnic people in Lam Binh district. Here, the main ceremony of the Long Tong festival is held. The worship products are offered, including 9 trays of Tong, which are the agricultural products and made by the indigenous people. The worship products are offered to the gods by nine girls in traditional costume. Then, the trays are brought to the Tong shelf in the middle of the stadium (at the mast foot of the Còn tree.

The ritual sacrifice to heaven-land and the divines is in order to give to the good things and be done by the priests. These people read the vows and begin the ritual to sacrifice the gods as the agricultural deity, the river’s deity, the mountain’s deity, the village's tutelary... These characters are considered to be the impact on production’s activities about agriculture and the life of the Tay ethnic people. Then, a special dance was performed with a means to dispel the dirty stuff to make the festival becomes clean.

At the festival, Ms. Dang Thi Bich Lien, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism has awarded the Certificate of the intangible cultural heritage of the nation for "the Long Tong festival of the Tay ethnic people" in Tuyen Quang Province.

A part festival began with going down field to plow; then, a dance named "Lam Binh’s color-fragrance" is represented by 400 pupils of the Thuong Lam secondary school in the Lam Binh district. Besides, there are the “Then” song and folk games were taken place exciting. They attracted tourists and people to get involved.

Long Tong in the Tay’s language means "going down the field". This is a festival of many factors on spiritual beliefs. This festival also happened a long time ago; and it is an opportunity for farmers to express our gratitude to the gods, ancestors and other people, who have reclaimed land to establish and grow rice and vegetables. The ritual is implemented to pray for better weather, happiness, doing well. The festival has become a beauty in the life of the community. It is a unique culture of the Tay ethnic people. It also contributes to enrich the national cultural treasure in Vietnam.

Plowing at the festival

Because the festival is recognized as the intangible cultural heritage of the nation, so it is an honor and pride, but it also poses challenges in the preservation and promotion of the traditional cultural values, which is popular in Vietnam and also widely promoted overseas.

Dancing

the tug game

Walking on stilts

Currently, the authorities in Tuyen Quang province are very interested in the preservation and promotion of the value of the Long Tong festival. It is contributing to the development of tourism and enhances the spiritual life of the people in this province.

Opening officially the Yen Tu Spring festival 2013 in Quang Ninh

In the evening February 18, 2013 (meaning on the 9th of January 2013 based on the lunar calendar), the Yen Tu festival, one of the biggest festivals in the Northern Vietnam was officially opened at the Trinh pagoda - Uong Bi City - Quang Ninh Province. It is a day earlier than the previous year.

The top of Yen Tu Mountain is over 1000m in height

On this occasion, the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province held a ceremony to receive special National Monument Certificate for Yen Tu History and Attractions. It increased the total number of special national relics in Quang Ninh is three relics. Participants also include many people who have the role of the State and government as Vice President – Ms. Nguyen Thi Doan, Deputy Prime Minister – Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan, representatives of the Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the leading director of Quang Ninh province, numerous Buddhists and tourists to attend. On this occasion, Deputy Prime Minister has given "the special National Monument Certificate" for Yen Tu land in Quang Ninh province. Vice President – Ms. Nguyen Thi Doan and representatives of the Buddhist Church of Vietnam in Quang Ninh province incense offering and open press for the Yen Tu spring festival 2013.

Vice President - Ms. Nguyen Thi Doan incense offering and open press

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister – Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan emphasized the virtues of the Buddha Emperor - Tran Nhan Tong King, who gave up the throne and power to go to Buddhism. He invented Yen Tu Truc Lam Buddhist in Vietnam.

On this occasion, Deputy Prime Minister – Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan also suggested for Quang Ninh Province and the relative authorities, who do not only continue to restore and preserve the heritage, but people also learn based on spirit of Tran Nhan Tong King - Buddhist.

A worship ritual at Yen Tu Festival

Opening the Yen Tu had many rituals such as wishing for the peace nation and happy population, the procession ceremony, performing arts, dragon dance, unicorn vibrant, drama dance-singing, recreating the historical stories about Yen Tu Truc Lam Buddhism more than 700 years ago. Currently, it is being inherited and spread.

The Yen Tu festival will spend three months of spring, so the organization is expected to welcome more than 3 million visitors to this Buddha land.

Many ancient definitions in Phat Tich and Lim pagoda festival

In response to tourism in the Red River Delta, People's Committee of Tien Du district (Bac Ninh province) and the Board of the Buddhist Church of Bac Ninh province will host the traditional festival in the Spring of Traditional Snake Year with many innovative features. This information is organized Steering Tien Du district festivals announced at a press conference in the afternoon on February 5th, 2013.
According to Venerable Dr. Thich Duc Thien, Deputy General Secretary of the Council of Leaders of the Buddhist Church of Vietnam, Chair at Phat Tich Pagoda and Lim Pagoda, Phat Tich and Lim Pagoda festival this year will be highlighted with the traditional elite of the nation. Therefore, the festivals will bring the preservation and promotion of traditional values, but it is not the subject to influence or distort the core identity from the integration of modern times.

Venerable Dr. Thich Duc Thien

Going to the Phat Tich pagoda festival on the morning of Jan 5th, 2013 based on the lunar calendar, visitors were immersed in the music space crystallization and enjoyed a cultural exchange program of traditional arts. This is a place for visitors to learn about the intangible heritage of Humanity (recognized by UNESCO) like: Quan Ho folk singing, Ca Tru, Chau Van, Cheo singing, Xam singging...

Buddism statue has ever exhibited in Phat Tich Pagoda.

In the evening, at the Buddha statue square on the Phat Tich Mountain (in Tien Du district), there was a Buddhist event to pray for the people got rich and country got strong with the art display with the light to give out good luck to a whole of a year.

At 8:00 AM on January 13th, 2013 based on the lunar calendar, the Lim festival is on the main day for the most important events, but it is started before and ended after one day (from January 12th to 14th, according to the lunar calendar). On the main day of ritual, ceremony will begin by carrying some objects to worship the famous character of the village, who relate to many legends and history as a village’s god, the gods in temples and shrines... At the same time with these rituals, there are many rituals and customs of other famous folk games.

A worship anniversary in the Lim festival

According to the Vice Chairman of People's Committee of Tien Du district, Mr. Tran Quang Ung, Head of the organizing Committee for the festival in Tien Du District said: The Lim festival this year will not be singers give a hat out to receive money. Implementation of the direction of the Bac Ninh Province People's Committee, the organizing Committee for festivals in the Tien Du district have met to invite clubs, which operate the Quan Ho fork singing at the Lim festival’s space to sign about commitments not to receive money; This will be monitored by the district's Department of Culture and the Culture Boad of town.

A Quan Ho singer gave a hat out to receive money at the Lim festival last year.

In addition, to preserve the traditional culture of the festival and ensure aesthetics, this year’s festival will be only arranged four tents to sing. It replaces for six ones in the previous year. At the same time, the restaurant and entertainment points will be put away from the central area of the festival.

People's Committee of Bac Ninh Province has also direct the speaker to prevent the use of radio in the tent to sing (it will lose the traditional values). The singers just sing directly based on the method of the Quan Ho traditional fork.

Celebrating for a raise about the Hung Kings worship at the occasion of a festival

As expected of the Organizing Committee, on April 13, 2013 (meaning on March 4, 2013  based on the lunar calendar), Ceremony in recognition of "Religious Hung Vuong Worship" is a UNESCO World Heritage will take place on the occasion of the organization for Hung Temple Festival 2013.

Hung King and Festival

In preparation for the ceremony by the World Heritage and organization for the Hung Temple Festival 2013, many items in the historic zone of Hung Temple were completed as: Parking P2, the working house, the living house, the Lac Long Quan Temple area, campus, sidewalk’s port to the 5-cutting roads’ point to the Well temple...
Besides, many other items also are being finalized such as the way the ceremony, the Hung Vuong square... The administrations of the Hy Cuong and Chu Hoa communes are pushing strong about sense of community throughout the festival.
Managements of Phu Tho Province also ordered for the relative departments to concern and complete the space of the Hung Vuong square and the electrical system in the area to ensure that the organization of the important activities at the festival.
The province will strengthen the management to the Hung Temple Festival 2013 to get a benchmark in the organization and the consensus of the majority of people.
With only on the ceremony road project, Management Board is also rushing to complete to support for this year's festival.

A program in Hung King Festival

According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Cac, Director of Regional Hung Temple historic said: The completion of these works plays an important role in the preservation and promotion of "the Hung Vuong worship religion of Vietnamese in the Phu Tho province".
“Hung Temple Festival 2013” is promised to be a festive pattern in the organization with a community.
On December 6, 2012, at the 7th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention on the conservation for the intangible cultural heritage was officially recognized on "Hung Vuong Worship Religion" in the Phu Tho province in Vietnam is one of the intangible cultural heritages, which is representative of humanity.
The UNESCO’s decision recognized clearly that the dossier meets the criteria to be enrolled in the list of intangible cultural heritages, which is representative of humanity. The decision also specified: "Hung Vuong Worship Religion" expresses a reverence for ancestral rank; and since then, it raised the national pride and community cohesion.
This approve will contribute to the recognition of the importance of ancestor worship in many other countries. By doing so, it not only encourages the community, but it also acknowledges the similarities, and creates a condition for the promotion of respect for the diversity of cultures.
On the schedule, at the festival, there are always many great worship programs, especially,  UNESCO approved Hung Vuong Worship Religion to become the heritage of humanity on Dec 6th, 2012. It proves that. Do you know?

Dong Nai organizes the first festival for Ong Pagoda

According to information from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Dong Nai province, in the first month of the traditional Snake Year 2013, Dong Nai organizes Ong Pagoda festival is the first time from February 19 to Jan 22nd, 2013 (meaning from 11th to 13th / January in Snake Year).
Ong Pagoda (also known as seven-government ancient-temple) located at Nhi Hoa Hamlet, Hiep Hoa Village, Bien Hoa City, was built in 1684. This is the basis of the first culture of the Chinese community in Southern Vietnam. It marks a historical landmark for the coexistence of the Vietnamese and Chinese community in things like mining wasteland, established careers and protected the land called Bien Hoa - Dong Nai. It is also a cultural exchange for over 300 years. Located in the middle of the island city, the Ong temple has the historical value and unique architecture with its beautiful space (towards the Dong Nai River). In recent years, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, it has attracted thousands of tourists to visit.

Ong Pagoda in Dong Nai Province

According to information of Monument Management Board and Landscapes of Dong Nai, the Ong Pagoda festival is in the folk beliefs, so it also be organized based on the folk style. Activities of the festival will be in Dong Nai province handed to the Board of the pagoda to lead. The entire funds for the festival are expected to more than 2 billion VND, and it will be created based on a form of socialization.

A section in Ong Pagoda

Mr. Le Tri Dung, Director of Management Board, said: We expect during the three-day festival, there would be more than 100000 visitors attended. To ensure safe for the festival and save, the organizers have worked with authority branch to function well in terms of traffic management. The organizers will also give a public way on the price of some commodities.

Muong Lay (Dien Bien) - The tourist attractions

Muong Lay is the same as the port in the northern Dien Bien province, which connects to the Lai Chau province. This is a piece of land, which has gone through many ups and downs of history. Although, in Muong Lay, today, there are still signs of the devastation, which was created by the accident of nature, but it is changing every day with the resettlement of the people when there is the appearance Son La Hydropower.

In recent years, Muong Lay is growing strong in construction. It develops and gave the appearance of an urban river. Muong Lay is on both sides of the river was connected to the long bridge. At the bottom, there is a large hydroelectric reservoir, which has created a painting as paint-hydro-being. In the future, Muong Lay will deserve to become a tourist center in the northern province of Dien Bien. It is also an ideal stopover of cruise tourism, which arc in the northwest of Vietnam.

Muong Lay in Dien Bien Province

Eco-tourism attractions

When the project of Son La Hydropower was completed, the reservoir’s water level rises about 213m and area square is about 100 hectares, it has created to Muong Lay become a landscape eco-tourism extremely attractive: Mountains is high; and the lake is low.

The climates here are very cool and fresh northwestern mountains; Muong Lay is a place like the interface between some things as the earth, sky, mountain and river in the past and present. The river was very "aggressive" in the past, but now, it has become more gentle, flat and vast green. All were created for people to have an appreciation of feeling comfortable and gentle.

If visitors go to Muong Lay, visitors should not miss an opportunity for boat trips on the lake’s surface. People are embedded with nature and the vast river. On this journey, visitors can visit the Lai Chau lands to learn about the palace Deo Van Long, or visit the model fish cage culture of the indigenous people. In particular, it is always attractive for tourists interested in exploring and adventurous activities like fishing on the Da River, hiking to explore the Northern village cave, or walk through the forest to get into the villages nestled inside sides of the mountain.

A Thai ethnic girl is sewing

Cultural diversity and unique

Muong Lay not only attracts tourists because of the romantic landscapes, it also attracted the heart because the very diverse and unique culture of nine ethnics. Every ethnic here is carrying a separate cultural identity. It makes up a picture of the very rich and diverse culture with the values of tangible and intangible characteristics. Array of cultural highlights in Muong Lay is the activities of the white Thai people. Muong Lay is considered the central of the White Thai people in Dien Bien, which is one of the cradles of dance as dance wear, dancing bottle, graceful fan dance; they went into the human subconscious and poetry.

To understand better about the cultures and lives among the people here, the guests can visit the traditional villages such as weaving, manipulated musical instruments (in Na Ward Lay), and manufacturing wood furniture (in Ward Song Da) and craft wicker furniture (in Lay Nua Commune). In the evening, if you stop in the traditional stilt house, you can enjoy special dishes. The attractions are as such as bitter bamboo shoots, flower mixing foods, dish makes of raw fish, Lang’s fish, fried fish and shrimp in Da River... They are embedded with the corn alcohol flavor, but they are sweet with the drunk wine’s ecstatic. The tourists and locals seem fascinated by the rotation of the dance to feel the same sweet voice of the Thai girls. Guests can also live in the Thai’s family to learn the customs of the people here. It will help visitors experience the feeling of a lump sum like Thai people.

In the early days of spring, after the time of the Chinese New Year, if tourists come here, you'll also see and learn about the Pang Kin Then festival. This is a traditional form of the White Thai ethnic in Muong Lay, which appeared a very long time. The festival is an opportunity for everyone here can meet and socialize. Besides, it is also a chance for people to celebrate mass to thank Heaven and Earth; everyone prays for peace and happiness to the village with much hope for the good things. After a year of hard work, this is an opportunity for people to forget about all your worries, anxieties to enjoy a life of joy and perfect happiness. More specifically, the festival is an opportunity for the young couple to meet; they confess and move forward in order to marry.

Going to Muong Lay is being the ancient lands. There are many things here like rivers, mountains, villages, streams... are associated with legends or stories compelling. With the emotional experience and explore, visitors will certainly really please you arrived this land.

"The beauty of Vietnam traditional culture" is the theme of Huong Pagoda Festival 2013

"Huong" is a name in Vietnamese, which means as Perfume, so we usually call "Huong Pagoda" is Perfume Pagoda. 

This year's festival is with the topic to make the highlight about the cultural - spiritual traditions of Vietnamese. Mr. Nguyen Van Hau, Vice Chairman of My Duc District (Hanoi) said: Huong Pagoda Festival 2013 will be held with the largest scale; and it is also the first event in response Nation Tourism Year of Red River Plain in Hanoi’s Areas.

With the theme as the beauty of Vietnam traditional culture, Huong Pagoda Festival this year will appear with a many activities to honor and introduce to visitors about the festival's traditional values, which have emerged since a long time in the past. It also contributes to the diversity of culture and religion in Vietnam.

This year, the opening of the festival will not be only formally held on 6-January at the Thien Tru ground, but the festival also has many other activities such as: rite about making freely for the life on Yen Stream, the photo exhibition about Vietnamese ancient pagodas and the combination with other excellent culture-art activities.

A photo about Huong Pagoda Festival 2012

To serve the organization of the festival better, as from many months up to the present, My Duc District was active in works such as renovating a number of items, improve infrastructure and ensure security. The district has invested to repair and maintenance for the road systems and including the signposts from Ha Dong festival area to create the favorable conditions for tourists go to this place.

The works which related to ensuring for the environmental hygiene in the festival are especially focused as: Cleaning Yen Streams, doing construction of the public toilets at criteria, creating the layout for trashes in areas and maintaining the force to do garbage collection in multiple locations.

The holders also train about the traffic safety knowledge for the waterways and attitudes to serve the tourists get on the boats (when coming to the Huong pagoda festival, the tourists must go to some special places by using the boat). Many security forces are strengthened to the points of the monument and the key on the tourist focus areas... All are formed to treat any un-wished situation immediately and preserve order for the festival.

In this festive season, My Duc District’s determination is clear to prohibit some activities as the business, advertising and organizing catering services, which are not under the rule. At the present, the basic preparing works are completed; all are ready for holding the festival, which is operated with the longest time annual.

Hon Dat district is ready for Ms. Su Festival 2013

If visitors travel to Hon Dat (in Kien Giang Province - Vietnam) on ​​these days, you'll find a formal space, including banners, posters, the gorgeous flags and flowers... on the route to the ruins of Hon Dat. Everyone is eagerly waiting for a major local event. It was the 51-year anniversary festival of the sacrifice of a popular girl, which has a nickname as Chi Su (Ms. Su) (She has the real name is Phan Thi Rang and was promoted as a Hero of the Armed Forces of Vietnam). The festival will take place from 08th to 09th-Jan-2013 in Hon Dat historical district.

A program of the Chi Su festival

 At present, the preparatory work for the festival is urgently carried out for opening day: Theater, program, stage, sound system, lighting... All have been carefully designed. All the preparations for the festival are being implemented expeditiously. With the size and scale of a district-level festival, the opening ceremony will bring to the audience and visitors about the repertoires of art, which is unique, attractive and impressive.

A part of the festivities will take place on 08th-Jan-2013, with many activities such as: The movie, the slide show for the features in Hon Dat, folk games, culinary programs, make the photo galleries about the new countryside and sea... At the night on 8th -Jan-2013, the program will be announced the opening of the festival with the theme as "the Ba Hon’s epic song" made by Cultural Center of the province. The program will be projected by Kien Giang Television to serve the people.

The worship was programmed last year for 50-year Chi Su anniversary

Mr. To Duy Chiem, Director of Cultural Center of Kien Giang province – at the same time as the director of the festival, which is programmed this year, said: The opening program consists of two parts. The first part is the epic song of Ba Hon area (program by 78 people). The second part is a program about the Hon Dat area associates with the country to promote. This is a traditional ceremony, which will be taken place in the morning on 9th-Jan-2013 (As the worship with the participations of many groups in different localities in the Kien Giang province).

The festival is also an opportunity for Hon Dat district can promote the tourism potential to the visitors to know about the history and landscape of this particular district.