Opening of Giong Festival - Phu Dong Temple in 2025

Delegates and people attending the ceremony. Photo: Nguyen Son

According to Vice Chairman of Gia Lam District People's Committee Truong Van Hoc, the Gióng Festival in Phù Đổng is held to commemorate the merits of Phù Đổng Thiên Vương Thánh Gióng, is a historical and cultural stage, reenacting the legend of Thánh Gióng defeating the Ân invaders, and is considered by researchers to be one of the most interesting and oldest festivals, the most widely known and popular among the people.

The unique feature of the Gióng Festival is that it is practiced, preserved and protected by the community. The main rituals of the Gióng Festival are held at locations in the Phù Đổng Temple Relic Site, which was ranked as a special national relic by the Prime Minister in 2013.

Vice Chairman of Gia Lam District People's Committee Truong Van Hoc speaks. Photo: Nguyen Son

After 15 years of being recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Gióng Festival ritual at Phù Đổng Temple is maintained and organized on an annual scale and a main festival scale every 5 years.

With the attention of the central government, the city, the support of agencies, businesses and people, Gia Lam district has invested in renovating and embellishing the cultural space of the Gióng Festival heritage and the locations of the Phu Dong Special National Relic Site, which have been renovated with a total investment of nearly 100 billion VND. The district also documents the Gióng Festival process, updates information introducing the Phu Dong Temple Special National Relic Site and Gióng Festival on the Gia Lam App in Vietnamese and English; introduction boards about the Special National Relic Sites and festivals with QR codes are placed in easily identifiable places for people and tourists . Distributing 1,500 copies of "Gia Lam - typical relics and artifacts in historical and cultural relics", 5,000 copies of "Phú Đổng Temple, heritage - special national historical and architectural relic", "Giong Festival - Representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity" ...

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Jonathan Baker, UNESCO representative in Vietnam, congratulated and highly appreciated the Vietnamese Government and local authorities' commitment to protecting and promoting traditions in organizing the Gióng Festival. This is a festival honoring an extremely vivid intangible heritage, aiming to convey knowledge, cultural identity and arouse deep pride. At the same time, he hoped that the locality would continue to protect and promote the heritage, making efforts to transmit and spread the beauty and meaning of the heritage to the international community.

Collectives and individuals were awarded. Photo: Nguyen Son

On this occasion, the People's Committee of Gia Lam district awarded 5 collectives and 16 individuals of Phu Dong commune for their contributions in 15 years of preserving and promoting the value of the Gióng Festival - an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Gióng Festival - Phù Đổng Temple takes place from April 26 (ie March 29 of the lunar calendar) to May 7 (ie April 10 of the lunar calendar) with the following activities: Incense offering ceremony of people and tourists from all over the world; physical education, sports, culture, arts, water puppetry, traditional wrestling, rice cooking competition, folk games, traditional art performances...; opening of the Cultural Tourism Week and sightseeing, experience, introduction of tourism products, local cuisine; opening of rural market booths, displaying and selling OCOP products and promoting tourism...