King Hung Temple Festival

King Hung Temple Festival is a common traditional festival to honor the first King of Vietnam – King Hung.

Vietnamese wish to show their deep gratitude to their origin and ancestors who make great contribution in forming and protecting Vietnam.

This festival takes place from the 8th to 11th day of the third lunar month in the year at King Hung Temple in Phu Tho province.

This anniversary aims to educate the young generation about their root and remind them of their heroes. Thousands of visitors from all over the country and abroad gather at Nghia Linh Mountain, Viet Tri City, Phu Tho Province to attend the festival.

King Hung Temple Festival

The legends say that a long time ago, Lac Long Quan is King Dragon staying near water while Au Co, a daughter of De Lai fell in love with each other and got married. Then, she gave birth to one hundred eggs in the sac and incubate into one hundred babies. Their elderst son became the King of Van Lang and established his Kingdom at Phong Chau, Phu Tho Province nowadays. Hence, Vietnamese is known as “Dragon and Fairy descendants.”

King Hung Temple Festival

According to the historical records, the reign of Hung King generations was really impressive and memorable. This is known as the stable and outstanding start for establishing a sovereign nation. Thanks for all great achievements and contributions of the Hung Kings, Vietnamese holds a nationwide anniversary to commemorate the anniversary of their ancestor’s death on the 10th day of the third lunar month. It is considered as one of the most sacred festivals of the Vietnamese people.

Reaching the Hung temple guests can’t help being astonished not only by the exciting ambience but also its complex structure. It consists of many sections such as Ha Temple and Pagoda, Gieng Temple, Trung and Thuong Temples, and the Hung Kings Tomb. The festival also bring tourists with some interesting activities. There are marches with the elephant going ahead and followed by the procession chair and a Xoan song performance. Besides, tourists can take part in other impressive activities for example dragon dancing, cock fighting, rice cooking or cross-bow shooting.

King Hung Temple Festival

In conclusion, King Hung Temple Festival is one of the most important festival in Vietnam and it has the purpose of educating the young generation about their forefathers and with their deep gratitude. They show their pride and love by through special traditional cultural activities.