Vietnam festivals are distinctive with unique traditions. If you are interested in local culture, you should not miss the following festivals. Tet (Lunar New Year)This is the most important and longest Vietnam festival. Tet officially takes place in the first 3 days of the lunar year. However, most people take their days off from December 28 to the end of January 5 (lunar calendar). Visitors can feel a different atmosphere than usual in all regions of Vietnam during this holiday. People decorate their houses, buildings, and streets splendidly. The mascot in the 12 zodiac animals representing a year appears everywhere. Fireworks and music events are also held, attracting many residents and tourists. On this festival, people will reunite with their families and relatives. They send others best wishes, give lucky money (lì xì) to children and younger people, and do traditional rituals. Hùng Kings’ Temple Festival Talking about Vietnam festivals, we have to mention the Hùng Kings’ Temple Festival. This is an annual traditional occasion to pay tribute to the 18 Kings who founded the country. They are said to be the first kings of Vietnam. The Hùng Kings’ Temple Festival takes place on March 3 of the lunar year in Viet Tri, Phu Tho. Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism included the festival in the list of national intangible cultural heritage (phase 1). In addition, UNESCO also recognized it as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2012. The Hùng Kings’ Temple Festival usually starts about a week before the main holiday with many exciting activities. Visitors can join folk games (gongs, bronze drums, wrapping, and cooking banh chung, tug of war, wrestling,...) and performing arts (ca tru, xoan singing,...). On the 10th day of the third lunar month, the festival will come to an end with sacrifices, processions, and incense offerings. Sacrificial offerings include five-fruit trays, banh chung, banh day, cows, pigs,... The palanquin procession starts from the foot of the mountain, passes temples, and reaches Thuong Temple. Here, the incense offering ceremony will take place. People will burn incense sticks to express gratitude and send their wishes to their ancestors. Lim Festival  Lim Festival lasts from January 12-14 of the lunar year in Bac Ninh. The festival begins with a solemn procession on the main day (January 13). People in the procession wear elaborate, colorful ancient costumes and perform rituals to worship the gods. Besides, the festival includes special folk games such as chess, wrestling, weaving, Quan Ho singing,...  Singing Quan Ho folk songs is a unique cultural beauty of Vietnam. This is the typical folk music of the Red River Delta in Northern Vietnam. Men and women take turns singing like they are having a conversation. At Lim Festival, both inbound visitors and domestic tourists will enjoy the traditional beauty of Vietnam festivals. Giong Festival   Saint Giong (Phu Dong Thien Vuong) is one of the four famous immortal saints in Vietnamese beliefs. The Giong Festival takes place from April 7-9 (lunar calendar) at Phu Dong temple (Gia Lam, Hanoi), where Saint Giong was born. The Giong Festival at Soc Temple (Soc Son, Hanoi) is held from January 6-8 of the lunar year. Legend has it that the foot of Soc Mountain is where Thanh Giong flew to heaven after defeating foreign invaders. In addition to the two official Giong Festivals above, others are held in many other places in Hanoi. This Vietnam festival is carefully prepared and organized, imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity. Those participating in performances at the Giong Festival are thoroughly selected. Traditional rituals include the opening ceremony, procession, incense offering, bamboo flower offering, and more.  In November 2020, the Giong Festival at Phu Dong Temple and Soc Temple was recognized by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Ponagar Temple FestivalPonagar Temple Festival is also known as the Goddess Thien Y A Na Festival or Holy Yana Mother Festival. This is a traditional event of the Cham community. The festival is often held at the Ponagar Temple Complex in Nha Trang, a trace of the ancient Champa Kingdom. Goddess Ponagar (her full name is Yang Po Inu Nagar) taught people how to grow rice, raise livestock and weave. Therefore, they hold an annual festival to show respect and pray for her protection and blessings. If you visit Nha Trang around March 20-23 of the lunar calendar, you should experience this large-scale Vietnam festival. Interesting activities here include incense offerings to the Mother Goddess, flower lanterns releasing, traditional Cham dance, etc. Nghinh Ong Can Gio Festival This 110-year-old Vietnam festival is organized on the full moon day of the 8th lunar month each year. In 2013, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized it as a national intangible cultural heritage. The Nghinh Ong Can Gio Festival is a tradition of fishermen in Can Gio district, Ho Chi Minh City. They hold the festival to pray for safe sailing trips and a prosperous life. Can Gio is the only district in Ho Chi Minh City near the sea. It also has mangrove forests with a diverse ecosystem. Tourists can visit this special land and participate in the unique Nghinh Ong festival.  Ba Chua Xu Temple Festival  The Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam Festival, a national festival, lasts from April 22-27 of the lunar calendar in Chau Doc, An Giang. This event represents the cultural imprint of the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.  The festival is held to pay tribute to the God sent to earth to save humanity. Ba Chua Xu Festival includes many rituals such as the opening ceremony, bathing ceremony, Tuc yet, Chanh te,... Moreover, attendants can also release flower lanterns, view art exhibitions, etc. Above are some typical Vietnam festivals imbued with national traditions. These traditions and beliefs have existed for hundreds, even thousands of years. Visitors will learn and discover many things about Vietnam’s culture and history through festivals. Contact us at Visit Vietnam Tours to start planning your dream trip to Vietnam today!