As spring comes, people in Phu Nghia commune in particular and Lac Thuy district in general flock to Tien Pagoda festival to enjoy festive activities during the annual event.
The ritual of palanquin processing from
Trung Temple to Tien Pagoda for the opening of the festival in 2024.
Tien Pagoda festival takes place in the Phu Nghia relic complex in Phu Nghia
commune. This year, the festival was organised at the provincial level,
attracting a large number of visitors.
Vu Huyen Chi, a visitor from Hanoi, said that she took her family to the pagoda
on the fourth day of the first lunar month to enjoy the beautiful landscape of
the site, adding she will visit the site again to further explore the massive
relic area.
Giang My, who was born in Lac Thuy and resides in Hai Phong, also chose Tien
Pagoda festival for her family’s spring trip to pray for a new year of good
health and smooth work, and enjoy the festive atmosphere with various folk
games at the festival. Her family also had a chance to enjoy "Chau van” (trance
ritual singing) and a trade fair.
This year, the opening ceremony of the Tien Pagoda festival took place in three
days from February 12-14, or the third to the fifth day of the first lunar
month, with diverse cultural and sports activities, along with a special art
programme featuring folk art, instrumental music, Muong gong art, Chau van, and
the demonstration of Tam Phu Mother Goddess ritual. The festival lasts for
three months until the end of the third lunar month.
The festival, the largest of its kind in Lac Thuy, carries strong identity of
the Muong traditional culture. The palanquin processing of the festival starts
from three venues of Trinh temple, Mau (Mother Goddess) temple and Trung
temple.
Visitors can also take a journey through the Dong Tien – Chua Tien – Mau Dam Da
relic complex where Au Co Mother Goddess, Tan Vien Mountain Gods, and Tu vi
Thanh nuong (four Holy Mothers) are worshipped.
The Chua Tien landscape and relic complex has 20 relics, including historical,
cultural, archeological ones and landscapes spanning Lao Noi and Lao Ngoai
communes. Particularly, Tien cave landscape site, a famous archaeological site
in the complex, was recognised as a national relic site in 1989.
Currently, the construction of a cable car system in the valley of the Huong
Pagoda-Tien Pagoda-Tam Chuc Pagoda spiritual triangle is underway.
Nguyen Van Hai, Chairman of the Lac Thuy People’s Committee, said that along
with spreading the traditional cultural values of the local community, the
festival is also a chance for the district to promote its tourism to domestic
and foreign visitors, contributing to promoting the local socio-economic
development.
Hoa Binh province has carried out multiple programmes and initiatives to revive its cultural heritage which has gradually fallen into oblivion through the ebbs and flows of history.
The most prominent and defining feature in the prehistoric era of Hoa Binh is the Hoa Binh Culture. The Culture was first discovered in Hoa Binh. The significant prehistoric culture represents not only Vietnam but also Southeast Asia and southern China. Through excavations of cave sites in the limestone regions of Hoa Binh, French archaeologist M. Colani introduced the world to a "Stone Age in Hoa Binh province – Northern Vietnam" in 1927. On January 30, 1932, the First Congress of Far Eastern Prehistorians, held in Hanoi, officially recognised the Hoa Binh Culture.
Known as the "Land of Epic History”, Hoa Binh province, the gateway to Vietnam’s northwest, boasts a strategic location and a unique cultural tapestry woven by its ethnic minority communities.
The People's Committee of Luong Son District recently held a ceremony to receive the certificate recognizing Sau Communal House in Thanh Cao Commune as a provincial-level historical and cultural site.
Recognising the importance of cultural heritage preservation in protecting and promoting the value system of Vietnamese culture, and serving socio-economic development in the new period, Party committees and local administrations in Hoa Binh province have identified it as a key task in the cultural development strategy. The province has been making efforts in mobilising resources, creating consensus among people and engaging ethnic communities in preserving and promoting cultural identity.
Hoa Binh province has captured growing attention both domestically and internationally for its distinctive cultural heritage and rich history. Most notably, it has been renowned for its famous Hoa Binh culture, considered the cradle of ancient Vietnamese civilisation. Looking ahead to significant milestones in 2025 and the 140th anniversary of province establishment in 2026, Hoa Binh Newspaper presents a comprehensive overview of the province's development across economic, social, cultural, tourism, and security domains.