Vietnamese Spring Celebration: Top 10 Famous Vietnamese Spring Festivals

Everyone loves spring, but it is a special, festive season in Vietnam. All throughout the season, in areas all over the country, festivals are held to celebrate different aspects of Vietnamese culture. You might have heard of Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, but what do you know about the festivals that make spring a unique time to have a Vietnam tour?

Top1: Huong Pagoda Festival Is the Most Important Spring Spiritual Event in Northern Vietnam

The My Duc district of Hanoi has a vast complex of Buddhist temples built into the Huong Tich mountains. A three-month-long festival, starting on the 6th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, is celebrated there. It attracts thousands of pilgrims visiting the temples and Huong Tich Cave on a pilgrimage to receive blessings.

Tourists can attend the festival to watch the processions and ceremonies, during which monks and pilgrims make offerings of incense, flowers, candles, and fruit. There are also boat cruises along the Yen Stream, art exhibitions, holy caves to explore, and local delicacies to taste. The Huong Pagoda Festival is the longest festival of the year and the most important spiritual event in Northern Vietnam.

Festival dates: 6th day of the first lunar month to the end of the third lunar month (late January to early April)

Tourists are holding offerings to pray for good luck

Top 2: Lim Festival Is an Ideal Event for People Interested in Vietnamese Traditional Music and Culture

The Lim Festival in Bac Ninh province celebrates traditional song and dance, particularly Quan Ho singing. It started as a local communal festival in Lim, a small town in Tian Du District, but has blossomed into a larger celebration of Vietnamese culture in the region.

Quan Ho singing is recognized as a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Practice. Traditionally associated with the spring festivals in Vietnam that follow Tet, it is a captivating display of call-and-response singing between male and female singers.

Tourists can enjoy the traditional music and culture of the festival and take part in ancient pastimes. Human chess, water puppetry, lion dances, and wrestling are just some of the contests that take place. The festival is held over three days and promises a unique experience for culture and music lovers.

Festival Dates: 12th or 13th to 14th or 15th of the first lunar month (late January / early February)

The locals are elegantly singing on the boat

Top 3: Yen Tu Festival Features Traditional Rituals and Art Performances

The Yen Tu Festival is a time for Buddhist pilgrimages to the Dong Pagoda in the Yen Tu mountains of Quang Ninh Province. The festival starts with a ritual held at the base of the mountain, followed by a three-hour trek to the pagoda on top.

Home to the first Vietnamese school of Zen Buddhism, dating back to the Tran Dynasty emperor Tran Nhan Tong, who founded the Vietnamese Buddhist tradition of truc lam zen. The mountain is home to a complex of historical pagodas, shrines, and stupas.

Tourists can witness the processions, prayers, and rites that take place throughout the festival and explore the natural beauty of Yen Tu Mountain. Traditional art performances such as dragon and unicorn dances and martial arts displays add to the cultural depth of the festivities.

Festival Dates: 10th day of the first lunar month to the end of the third lunar month (late January to early April)

People are trekking to the pagoda on the top of the Yen Yu mountain

Top 4: Hung Kings' Temple Festival Is the Death Anniversary of the Hung Kings

The Hung Kings were the legendary rulers of ancient Vietnam, a dynasty that began in 2879 BC. The festival in their honor lasts four days, and the main day, the 10th day of the third lunar month, is a national holiday.

Vietnamese people participate in the Hung Kings Temple Festival to preserve their strong connection to local history. Ceremonies are held nationwide, but the main ceremony takes place in Phu Tho Province at the Hung Temple complex.

Visitors can observe the elaborate rituals conducted by Buddhist monks paying homage to the Hung Kings. Celebrations also include folk music and games like bamboo swinging contests, rice cooking competitions, and dragon dances. There is no better time to experience the living ties to Vietnamese history.

Festival Dates: 8th to 11th day of the third month on the lunar calendar (late March / early April)

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Top 5: Pilgrims Climb Ba Den Mountain for Blessing during Ba Den Mountain Festival

Ba Den Mountain, in Tay Ninh province, is the highest peak in Southeastern Vietnam. Known as Black Virgin Mountain, it is the center of myths about Ba Den, a woman who fled her home and sought enlightenment on the mountain. A black bronze statue was commissioned in her honor. During the festival, pilgrims and monks climb the mountain to make offerings to Ba Den and receive her blessings.

A cable car runs up the mountain, but you can also take the traditional route on foot. The mountain is a pristine natural setting, and it usually takes half a day to reach the top on foot. During the festival, the summit is a lively scene of Vietnamese food and cultural performances. You can visit sacred pagodas and spend time close to nature.

Festival Dates: 4th day of the first lunar month until the end of the month (late January / early February)

The golden glow in the sky at Ba Ben Mountain

Top 6: The Fire Dragon Procession Is the Most Special Part of the Dong Da Hill Festival

In a season with many historic festivals, the Fire Dragon Procession during the Dong Da Hill festival stands out. The festival is held in honor of the national hero Quang Trung, who had one of the greatest victories in Vietnamese military history when he defeated an invading Qing army.

Held in Hanoi's Dong Da district, the festival includes lively processions and a range of artistic performances. The highlight is the Fire Dragon Procession, an artistic reenactment of the battle. The Thang Long Fire Dragon is decorated and marched triumphantly into Thang Long Citadel.

Festival Date: 5th day of the Lunar New Year (late January / early February)

People are dancing lions and dragons

Top 7: Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival Is Held in Southeast Asia's Largest Buddhist Complex

Bai Dinh Pagoda is one of the biggest temples in Southeast Asia and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Located in Ninh Binh Province, the Bai Dinh Temple Spiritual and Cultural Complex is a massive complex of Buddhist temples covering 700 hectares.

On the 6th day of the first lunar month, crowds gather to take part in Buddhist rites and rituals. It is a more solemn event than other festivals. It combines elements of Buddhism, Taoism, and Vietnamese folk religion into a unique reflection of national culture.

Tourists can participate in the rituals performed during the festival and explore the caves. You can also enjoy cultural performances like Cheo, Xam, and Tru singing and theatrical performances by the Ninh Binh Opera Society.

Festival Date: 6th day of the first lunar month (late January / early February)

The largest temple complex in Southeast Asia in Ning Binh

Top 9: Giong Festival Represents the Hope for a Good Harvest and Happy Lives

Thang Giong is a mythical folk hero and one of The Four Immortals in Vietnamese mythology. On the 4th day of the fourth lunar month, before the rice harvest, people in Hanoi honor the hero as the patron god of the harvest. The ceremonies and offerings seek peace and family prosperity.

You can join the festival at Soc Temple or the larger celebrations at Phu Dong Temple in Hanoi. Thang Giong's historic feats are reenacted with the riding of a white horse into battle and an elaborate flag dance symbolizing the battle itself. You can also witness the ritual bathing of his statue and a procession of bamboo flowers brought to the temple as offerings.

Festival date: 4th day of the fourth lunar month (late April / early May) 

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Top 9: Dong Ky Village Festival Is Known for Large Firecracker Contest

Dong Ky is a village in Bac Ninh province in northern Vietnam and is home to a unique festival. The thousand-year-old festival comes from the story of the 6th Hung King, who, after winning a battle, returned to Dong Ky Village and organized a procession with fireworks. Since then, the village has commemorated the victory with a procession of two huge fireworks. Each firework is red-lacquered and decorated with carved dragon and phoenix patterns.

Besides the exciting fireworks, visitors can see the "Xo Quan Dam." It is a unique ceremony in which four old men are selected to represent ancient generals from the story and the four gods of rain, wind, thunder, and lighting. The men dress in costumes and perform rituals to pray for good weather and a large harvest.

Festival date: 4th to 6th day of the first lunar month (late January / early February)

The locals are holding up the huge firework

Top 10: Ba Chua Xu Festival Is One of the Biggest Religious Events in South Vietnam

One of the biggest religious events in South Vietnam is paying respects to Ba Chua Xu. Her temple is located at the base of Sam Mountain, Chau Doc City, An Giang Province. She is a prosperity goddess worshipped in the Mekong Delta region. Villagers are said to have found her statue and built a temple to house her, hoping she would bring them better lives.

Ba Chua Xu Temple is shaped like a lotus and built with colored bricks and tiles. The festival attracts pilgrims and tourists to see the ritual cleaning of the statue and participate in cultural and sporting activities. As part of the festivities, you can see Vietnamese classical opera, martial arts, and lion dances.

Festival dates: 22nd to 27th day of the fourth lunar month (late April / early May)

Visit lotus-like Chua Xu Temple with colored bricks and tiles

Conclusion

Springtime in Vietnam is a time for festivals all over the country when you can join in celebrating local traditions and history. There is no better way to immerse yourself in Vietnamese culture than celebrating side-by-side with Vietnamese people. Contact us to find out how to plan your Vietnam spring festival tour.