The heritage journey of Lady Via continues to flow.

Along the gentle flow of the Hau River, at the foot of the misty Sam Mountain each morning, the Via Ba Chua Xu Festival of Sam Mountain has long been a spiritual anchor for the people of Southern Vietnam, a story of faith, culture, and the enduring bond of the community over hundreds of years. In December 2024, that story entered a new chapter: Via Ba Chua Xu was inscribed by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This is not only a source of pride for An Giang, but this major event is also a recognition of a vital part of Vietnamese cultural soul.

Statue of the Lady of Sam Mountain.

From legend to community heritage

Nearly two centuries ago, in the remote border region of Chau Doc, people passed down the story of a sacred statue atop Mount Sam. Unable to bear the statue's extraordinary weight, they heeded a dream they received: only nine virgin girls could carry the statue down to the place chosen by the Goddess – the exact location of the temple today. Since then, the 25th day of the fourth lunar month has become the annual festival honoring the Goddess, a cultural tradition that has gradually evolved into a large-scale celebration.

Along with the Vietnamese belief in the worship of the Mother Goddess, the cultural exchange with the Chinese, Cham, and Khmer peoples creates a unique character for the festival. Rituals such as bathing the Goddess, invoking the divine spirit, offering sacrifices, and performing the main ceremony have been preserved intact through generations, connecting the past and the present. The Via Ba festival is not only associated with the Holy Mother Goddess – a revered female deity – but also honors the contributions of Thoai Ngoc Hau, a high-ranking official of the Nguyen dynasty who played a key role in reclaiming land, digging canals, building roads, and defending the borders. Besides its religious significance, the festival therefore also bears the imprint of the history of land reclamation and national defense.

“For the people, the Lady of Sam Mountain is a Holy Mother in the belief system of female deity worship, always protecting and supporting the people. The rituals and participation in the festival are to satisfy the people's faith and aspirations for health, peace, and prosperity. We always believe that this is an environment for educating about traditional moral values, remembering the contributions of our ancestors in building and defending the nation, and highlighting the role of women. At the same time, it demonstrates the intermingling in creativity, cultural practices, and harmony of ethnic groups sharing the same faith within the same territory. The festival also helps people strengthen community solidarity, sharing, bonding, and supporting each other in the face of life's difficulties,” affirmed Mr. Thai Cong No – Head of the Sam Mountain Mausoleum Management Board.

The ritual involves carrying the statue of the Goddess down from the top of Mount Sam to the temple.

Seven years of preparation for a moment.

Through many changes and generations of preservation, the Via Ba Chua Xu festival at Sam Mountain has grown stronger. In 2001, the festival was first organized on a national scale. In 2014, it was inscribed as a national intangible cultural heritage. However, the journey to achieving world recognition was not simple. From 2018 to 2024, the entire political system of An Giang province, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, cultural experts, and festival practitioners, diligently collected documents, inventoried, researched, and built a dossier according to international standards.

Hundreds of interviews, numerous field trips, and multiple rounds of revisions were conducted to clarify the authenticity, integrity, and community value of the festival. The dossier not only tells the story of Mount Sam but also proves that Via Ba is a prime example of cultural exchange, of Southeast Asian goddess worship, and of the cohesion of the Vietnamese, Chinese, Cham, and Khmer communities. On December 4, 2024, in Asunción (Paraguay), when UNESCO officially announced the inscription, the Vietnamese delegation was deeply moved by this historic moment. That joy quickly spread back home, where the people of Chau Doc in particular, and the province in general, eagerly awaited each day.

This is Vietnam's 16th intangible cultural heritage, and the second intangible cultural heritage of the Southern region (along with the art of Don Ca Tai Tu) to be inscribed by UNESCO. Above all, this is the first traditional festival of the Mekong Delta to receive this honor, contributing to affirming the diversity, value, and identity of Vietnamese culture within the broader cultural landscape of humanity.

Via Ba deserves to be recognized as a World Heritage site, as it is a testament to the belief in honoring Vietnamese women. Ba Chua Xu is a symbol of compassion, protection, and a soft yet enduring strength – an image distilled from the Vietnamese tradition of worshipping the Mother Goddess. The festival reflects how the multi-ethnic community in An Giang lives together harmoniously, participating in rituals and creating culture together. This strong sense of community is evident in the way everyone, from temple keepers and ritual performers to traders, pilgrims, and local authorities, contributes to maintaining the festival.

Every year, pilgrims flock to Mount Sam to pray for peace, prosperity, and inner tranquility. Amidst the ever-changing city, the moment of looking up at the Goddess is a time for people to slow down and "entrust" their deepest feelings.

A view of the Lady of Sam Mountain shrine during the festival. Photo: THANH HUNG

A new chapter after a new title.

For Chau Doc, the festival is a positive force driving tourism development towards sustainable cultural practices. For Vietnam, Via Ba contributes to enriching the nation's "heritage map," elevating Vietnam's cultural standing on the international stage. This UNESCO World Heritage title marks the beginning of greater responsibility: preserving the authenticity of the ritual, avoiding commercialization; honoring artisans and passing on their knowledge to the younger generation; applying digital technology in documentation and promotion; and ensuring a civilized, green, clean, and safe environment for tourists. Most importantly, it is crucial to continue preserving Via Ba as a community festival, a festival of the genuine people living at the headwaters of the Hau River.

In 2025-2026, An Giang will enter a new phase of its heritage preservation journey. The UNESCO designation places higher demands on the management, transmission, and promotion of the festival's value. Mr. Trang Cong Cuong, Secretary of the Party Committee of Vinh Te Ward, stated: “One of the key tasks for the 2025-2030 term is to preserve and promote the value of cultural and historical heritage, especially the Via Ba Chua Xu Festival at Sam Mountain, and other unique cultural and religious sites associated with the development of cultural and spiritual tourism, creating a distinct identity for Vinh Te town. We are focusing on building a tourism culture and fulfilling our commitments to UNESCO regarding the promotion and transmission of the values ​​of the Via Ba Chua Xu Festival. We aim for a total of 26 million visitors to the ward during the 2026-2030 period.”

This period marks a shift from "registration" to "action." On November 13, 2025, in Submission No. 1916/TTr-SVHTT, the Department of Culture and Sports emphasized the urgent need to develop a project on "Management, protection, and promotion of the intangible cultural heritage value of the Via Ba Chua Xu Festival at Sam Mountain" in accordance with the spirit of the 2003 UNESCO Convention and the regulations of the 2024 Law on Cultural Heritage and Decree No. 215/2025/ND-CP. This is the technical and legal foundation to ensure that the Via Ba Chua Xu Festival is preserved according to UNESCO standards. Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Van Phuoc approved the principle of developing the project and assigned the Department of Culture and Sports to urgently implement and complete it in the second quarter of 2026. This timely approval demonstrates An Giang's strong commitment to fulfilling its obligations as a UNESCO member state, incorporating the preservation of the Via Ba Festival into long-term planning, and creating an inter-sectoral coordination mechanism to ensure the sustainable preservation of the heritage. This also officially formalizes the province's determination: not just to preserve a festival, but to preserve the identity, memory, and cultural soul of the region.

GIA KHANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/chay-mai-hanh-trinh-di-san-via-ba-a476701.html