Opening Ceremony of the Vang Khac Temple Festival 2026

- On the evening of June 2nd (corresponding to the 17th day of the 4th lunar month), the People's Committee of Thong Nhat commune organized the opening ceremony of the Vang Khac Temple Festival 2026.

Delegates attending the opening ceremony

According to historical documents, Vang Khac communal house was built during the reign of Le Canh Hung (approximately 1740 - 1768). This is a typical example of the river god worship (Giao Long god) of the people of Lang Son province.

The temple still preserves many valuable artifacts of historical, artistic, and religious significance, such as carvings, large inscriptions, wooden statues, and six royal decrees. The temple was classified as a provincial-level historical site by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee according to Decision No. 41/2002/QD-UBND dated October 2, 2002.

The opening ceremony featured spectacular cultural performances at the festival.

The highlight of the festival is the "Procession of the River God" ceremony, in which the ritual of carrying water is considered a beautiful cultural tradition, expressing the people's wish for favorable weather and abundant harvests. Specifically, after the opening ceremony on the morning of the 17th, the ceremonial committee uses rafts to go to the middle of the Ky Cung River to light incense and pray for the Snake God to attend the festival. They also collect river water in a vessel as a precious representative to be solemnly carried back to the main temple for worship. This sacred water will be respectfully worshipped to pray for the protection of the village guardian deity before being returned to the river the following afternoon.

The leaders of Thong Nhat commune People's Committee beat the drums to officially open the festival.

At the festival, delegates, local people, and tourists enjoyed cultural performances by artists and actors from the Provincial Ethnic Arts Troupe and members of cultural and artistic clubs in the commune. The performances focused on praising the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, and love for the homeland, blended with traditional folk songs such as Then, Sli, Luon, and Xang Co.

Delegates supported the restoration and renovation of Khau Ngoa Temple in Thong Nhat commune.

Also during the program, the People's Committee of Thong Nhat commune launched a campaign to support the restoration and renovation of Khau Ngoa Temple (a provincial-level ranked historical site in 2023). Khau Ngoa Temple is located 1.5 km from Vang Khac Temple and is an architectural and artistic relic with significant historical, cultural, and scientific value. Due to the effects of time, this centuries-old communal house is now in serious disrepair. The initiative aims to mobilize social resources to promptly repair, preserve, and promote the value of this historical site in the area.

The procession of the Snake God at the Vang Khac Temple festival.

In particular, this year's festival was lively with many special activities such as: a competition for the most beautiful camp gate; displaying and promoting local specialties and cuisine ; pig roasting competition, tug-of-war, stick pushing, sack racing, stilt walking, and grass pulling competition, attracting the participation and cheering of a large number of people.