Top 7 Famous Festivals in Vĩnh Phúc

Usually held in the third lunar month as Spring is transitioning into Summer, the official day of the festival is the 15th of the 2nd lunar month every year at the Monumental Complex of Tây Thiên, Đại Đình Commune, Tam Đảo District. The Tây Thiên Festival is the largest festival in Vĩnh Phúc, lasting three days with ritual ceremonies and a fair featuring various folk games such as singing folk songs of the Sán Dìu ethnic minority, cooking competitions, kite flying, making square and round glutinous rice cakes, tug of war, and cockfighting.

Attending the festival, tourists have the opportunity to learn about Tây Thiên - the place where the National Mother Lăng Thị Tiêu is worshipped. She was the 7th wife of Hùng Chiêu Vương, who played a role in helping the king suppress enemies, expand the territory, unite the country, teach people how to grow rice, and keep the flame burning during the dawn of the nation. In remembrance of her merits, the local people built temples to offer daily incense. The Tây Thiên Festival is an integral part of social life, meeting the cultural and religious needs of the people, to commemorate the merits and express gratitude to the National Mother Tây Thiên since ancient times.

The Tây Thiên Festival is held annually at the Tây Thiên Monumental Complex, attracting numerous domestic and international tourists. The rituals are solemn and distinctive, reflecting the ethnic identity.

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Location: Hữu Huyền Cung Square (Thõng Temple) in Đại Đình Commune, Tam Đảo District, Vĩnh Phúc Province.

Date: 15th day of the 2nd lunar month every year.

Originating from Princess Ngoc Kinh rallying soldiers, forging solidarity weapons under the reign of Hai Ba Trung... The hidden female general is a spiritual practitioner at Phu Lien Pagoda, credited with teaching people various crafts... Every year on the 8th day of the first lunar month, the people of Dong Tinh commune (Tam Duong) hold the But Casting Festival.

The festival is lively at the communal yard, featuring the casting of bronze (Princess Ngoc Kinh orders the casting of a statue from that era...), commonly referred to as 'but casting'. Concurrently, there is a demonstration of the professions of Scholar - Farmer - Worker - Trader in an outer circle revolving around the but casting inside... The climax is the intense 'but snatching' ritual – symbolizing the birth of a son – a lavish ceremony... Additionally, there are wrestling matches, cockfighting... Hundreds of people assume various roles, performing in quick, powerful sequences, with intricate coordination, demonstrating the event organization skills and vivid imagination of the ancient residents.

Reference Information:
Location: Dong Tinh Commune, Tam Duong District, Vinh Phuc Province.
Time: 8th day of the first lunar month.

Every year on the 17th day of the first lunar month in Hai Luu commune, Song Lo district, the Buffalo Fighting Festival is an unmissable event for visitors from all directions. The Hai Luu Buffalo Fighting Festival originates from the ancient custom of offering sacrifices to deities by Vinh Phuc residents dating back to the second century BC, associated with the tradition of defending the country alongside the name of General Lu Gia. Legend has it that after each victory, General Lu Gia organized buffalo fights to boost the morale of soldiers; the strong buffalo selected would be sacrificed to honor the troops. After General Lu Gia passed away, the villagers of Hai Luu revered him as the village's Patron Saint, and the buffalo fighting festival began from then on.

This is considered one of the oldest buffalo fighting festivals in Vietnam, with two distinct parts: the village Patron Saint worship ceremony and the spectacular buffalo fighting festival. The unique cultural feature of Hai Luu Buffalo Fighting Festival is that the 'buffalo champions' are collectively raised and trained by groups. Experienced villagers directly select the buffaloes, which have a special diet and daily training in martial arts techniques for competition and increased agility. The buffalo fights always occur head-on using horns and strength to determine the attacking position, and regardless of victory or defeat, the buffaloes never attack each other from behind or the sides, showcasing the martial spirit of the people. After nearly half a year of care and training, the buffaloes are brought into battle. When a buffalo wins, it is slaughtered as a 'sacrifice' like in the time of Lu Gia, and visitors can buy the meat as a lucky gift. If you have the opportunity to travel to Vinh Phuc during the festival season, be sure to visit Hai Luu commune to immerse yourself in the lively atmosphere of this buffalo fighting festival. As you leave, remember to say:

Wherever you go, whatever you do…
Remember the 17th for buffalo fighting festival's hue...

Reference Information:

Location: The Buffalo Fighting Festival takes place in Hai Luu commune, Song Lo district, Vinh Phuc province.

Time: The Hai Luu Buffalo Fighting Festival occurs on the 16th and 17th days of the first lunar month every year.

Amidst the joyful atmosphere of welcoming spring (Khai Khanh Ha), agricultural residents of Khai Quang commune (now a ward, belonging to Vinh Yen city) enthusiastically organize the festival on the 8th day of the first lunar month. A procession from Mau Thong village to Linh Tieu temple (later renamed Phu Cung Pagoda), commonly known as Phu Pagoda. The festival features a unique and rare performance called the Four People's Show (Scholar, Farmer, Worker, Trader) or known as Four Riches – an intriguing folk performance depicting the wish for a prosperous, happy life and a new year full of luck and peace.

Viewers will be pleasantly surprised to see the 26 roles, including teachers, students, farmers, all wearing masks (only buffalo and cow heads), men playing female roles, holding tools upside down... creating funny and amusing scenes... Behind that, it portrays a comprehensive, harmonious, and compassionate community life...

Reference Information:

Location: Mau Lam Village, Mau Thong, Vinh Thinh, Khai Quang Ward, Vinh Yen City, Vinh Phuc Province.

Time: 8th day of the first lunar month.

Swim Shaving Festival takes place on the 25th and 26th days of the 5th lunar month, marking the celebration of water by the residents of the riverside rice fields near the Lo River… It also carries the martial spirit from the tradition of unity in fighting invaders to protect the country since the time of the Hung Kings… It's a reenactment with ceremonial and artistic elements of training aquatic troops and the heroic spirit of battle on the rivers and lakes from our ancestors 1500 years ago. It reflects the vigorous spirit of the national army led by the first Emperor of the Ly Dynasty who established the Dien Triet water training camp, leaving behind a glorious history that the people of Tu Yen are proud of. The ancient residents of Tu Yen created a distinctive form to commemorate the majestic Emperor. Therefore, the Tuy Yen Swimming Festival carries more spiritual significance than just sports and entertainment.

The Swim Shaving Festival is organized to recreate the festive battles on the river as our ancestors did. The rafts used in the festival are made of interlocking wooden planks, painted red. The raft's head resembles a phoenix's head, while the body gradually tapers like the tail of a shrimp. The raft is 20.5 meters long, with the interior divided into multiple compartments, the widest being 1.5 meters. Each raft has 36 rowing arms, divided into 18 pairs sitting side by side. The swimmers on the raft are strong and healthy young men who are carefully selected and sit with one knee down in a unified posture, holding the oars correctly. The person standing at the rear of the raft, wearing a stripped shirt and a conical hat, is responsible for steering. They sometimes use their advantage to overtake. Finally, there's the helmsman, wearing silk clothes and the conical hat, standing at the end of the raft. This person is experienced in guiding the raft along the river currents, sometimes taking advantage to overtake.

Participants are immersed in the lively and bustling atmosphere, with cheers echoing along the banks filled with the determined spirit and ingenuity of the young men on the boats shaped like phoenixes, dragons, and shrimp tails racing like arrows on the water, reminiscent of the ancient wooden boats that King Ly used to fight the invaders. Since 2010, the Swim Shaving Festival has been revived after a 60-year hiatus, fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Tu Yen and Vinh Phuc, as well as visitors from afar. Along with Dien Triet, Son Dong tourist area, Trieu De, and the Duc Bac drum team, it will become a comprehensive tourist area (spiritual, ecological, craft villages…) in the southern Lao Thach, Lo River, attracting many domestic and foreign tourists…

Reference Information:

Location: Tu Yen, Song Lo, Vinh Phuc.

Time: Held on the 25th and 26th days of the 5th lunar month annually.

The name of the festival reflects the vibrant atmosphere of the event, unique to the residents of Lap Thach on the banks of the Pho Day River… The festival takes place on the 7th day of the first lunar month at the Dong Lai Temple in Ban Gian commune, commemorating the era of the Hung Kings, when the people defended the land, fortified the frontier, and trained soldiers to protect the nation.

After the ritual of the Royal Citadel ceremony, the subsequent festivities are quite lively with activities like volleyball, chess, flattening the Dầy cake, swinging, blindfolded goat-catching… and the most exciting is still the game of snatching the ball and stealing the flag. Snatching the ball (capturing the ball), bare-chested men snatch the ball with their hands (the ball made of good wood, with a diameter of 35cm) - symbolizing infantry. Stealing the flag (the flag is made of 1.3m long bamboo, with a curved base, carved into the shape of a horse head, a dragon, or a horse) - symbolizing cavalry… chasing and circling around the ball. The festival is fiercely contested, demonstrating the martial spirit of the ancestors, showcasing the artistic creativity of the residents of this region. The Festival of Snatching the Ball and Stealing the Flag in Ban Gian has a long history, representing the unique culture of a rural village in the mountainous region. The ancients understood through a ritual with religious significance to incorporate unity, moral values, skill training, along with the intention to promote goodness by praying for favorable rain, harmonious winds, peaceful and joyful households… This is truly a profound humanistic philosophy, contributing to instilling faith and vitality in the community through generations…
Reference Information:
Location: Dong Lai Temple, Ban Gian Commune, Lap Thach District, Vinh Phuc Province.
Time: 7th day of the first lunar month.

The Festival of Bamboo and Reed Boat Racing is held annually on the 15th and 16th days of the first lunar month in Moi hamlet, Quang Yen commune, Song Lo district, Vinh Phuc province. This is considered the field-going festival of the Cao Lan people of Quang Yen (Song Lo district), a unique traditional festival that showcases the distinctive cultural traits of the people here. The ritual is organized in the early days of the first lunar month to express gratitude to the gods, ancestors, and to pray for favorable weather, abundant harvests, prosperity in every household, and happiness.

The field-going festival is a beautiful traditional cultural activity of the Cao Lan ethnic group, organized annually as a festive entertainment at the beginning of spring, encouraging the preservation of ethnic culture while motivating the production and cultural development at the grassroots level. The festival is a ritual for praying for favorable weather, abundant harvests, health for everyone, and many offspring. The field-going festival is also a cultural belief with many values ​​in ethnography, humanity, and art… After the ritual, the festival featured many interesting folk games such as dancing, singing folk songs, performing ethnic courtship songs, throwing cloth balls, archery, tug-of-war, and cockfighting, attracting many ethnic people to participate… When participating in the festival, after the solemn ritual of offering, you will join in various performances such as planting rice, throwing cloth balls, being fascinated by graceful folk songs and dances, and being enthralled by the skilled performances of men and women in traditional costume races, reflecting the beauty of the cultural values, the distinctive identity of the Cao Lan ethnic group.
Reference Information:
Address: Moi hamlet, Quang Yen commune, Song Lo district, Vinh Phuc province.
Time: 15th and 16th days of the first lunar month.