Can Gio Whale Festival 2025: Preserving the spirit of the sea, spreading identity

Ho Chi Minh City From October 5 to October 7, the Whale Festival will take place in Can Gio - a national intangible cultural heritage, closely associated with the spiritual life of fishermen.

The traditional Whale Festival in Can Gio, with a history of 112 years, is closely associated with the spiritual life of fishermen in the coastal area. The festival is an important occasion for people to remember Whale - the sea god who protects and shelters fishermen, and at the same time pay tribute to their ancestors, praying for a favorable sea season and a full hold of fish and shrimp.

The highlight of the Festival is the main boat Nghinh Ong Can Gio taking the group out to sea to perform the ceremony, expressing the fishermen's gratitude to the sea god. Photo: Le Binh .

According to Ms. Vo Thi Diem Phuong, Vice Chairwoman of Can Gio Commune People's Committee, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Can Gio Whale Festival 2025: Through the festival, Can Gio aims to preserve and promote traditional cultural values, especially the unique cultural features of the coastal community. This is also an opportunity to promote propaganda and education on love for the profession, love for the homeland and awareness of protecting the sacred sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

This year's ceremony will begin with an incense offering ceremony at the Martyrs' Cemetery and the Sac Forest Heroes Temple, a grand flag-raising ceremony, a ceremony to celebrate fishermen's achievements, and especially the Whale Welcome Ceremony at sea on the morning of October 7, when hundreds of boats decorated with flags and flowers, along with fishermen, will set sail to welcome the whale to the Ong Thuy Tuong's Tomb.

At the same time, the festival is expected to bring a jubilant and vibrant atmosphere with many cultural, sports and commercial activities. Visitors can experience the art route recreating the 112-year journey of the festival; enjoy seafood cuisine and OCOP products at the trade fair, or immerse themselves in a series of folk games, artistic kite performances, paragliding, traditional music, water puppetry... In particular, the artistic fireworks display on the sea and the light flycam performance promise to create an unforgettable impression.

A flotilla of fishing boats decorated with flags and flowers will follow each other on the water in the Can Gio Whale Festival, wishing for a year of favorable weather and a full hold of fish. Photo: Le Binh .

A notable new feature of the Can Gio Whale Festival 2025 is the Muay Thai martial arts performance organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports in collaboration with the City Muay Thai Department and the Can Gio Commune People's Committee. This is a famous traditional martial art of Thailand, gradually asserting its position on the world martial arts map as well as in Vietnam, contributing to enriching the cultural and sports life of the community.

Not only creating a joyful and healthy playground, Can Gio Whale Festival also contributes to building a spirit of hospitality, civilized urban and commercial lifestyle, better serving the needs of tourists. This is also an opportunity for Can Gio to promote its tourism potential, affirming its position as a unique cultural and spiritual destination, a place to preserve the "soul of the sea" and spread the love of the sea and islands to a large number of people and tourists at home and abroad.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/le-hoi-nghinh-ong-can-gio-2025-giu-hon-bien-lan-toa-ban-sac-d774294.html