What makes the festivals in Ha Long so special?

Ha Long City currently has 16 traditional festivals, including: Long Tien Pagoda Festival, Ba Men Temple Festival, Tran Quoc Nghien Temple Festival, Bang Ca Village Festival, Dai Ky Phuc Dinh Nghe Van Yen Festival, Giang Vong Temple Festival... These festivals create enormous potential for cultural tourism .

Young men and women of the Dao Thanh Y ethnic group eagerly flock to the Bang Ca village festival.

In his presentation at the conference "Promoting the Green Economy , Digital Economy, and Heritage Economy of Ha Long City in the Era of National Development" held on December 26, 2024, Dr. Do Danh Huan, a researcher at the Institute of History, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, paid particular attention to the sea festivals in Ha Long, including the Ba Men Temple Festival. The Ba Men Temple Festival takes place from the 18th to 19th of the first lunar month in Ha Long Bay, reflecting the rich culture of the local fishermen.

According to Dr. Do Danh Huan, not only the Ba Men Temple festival, but many festivals in Ha Long are closely associated with the marine environment. This is understandable, as this is a region heavily influenced by the sea. The cultural activities and lifestyles of the inhabitants still retain many maritime elements, most vividly expressed in traditional festivals. This is a tremendous heritage resource for developing sustainable tourism, cultural industries, and heritage economics. Dr. Do Danh Huan also noted that the preservation and promotion of festival heritage should be considered in relation to and integrated with the natural heritage of Ha Long Bay, with Ha Long Bay as the center of the heritage economy. Traditional festivals in localities and surrounding areas play the role of satellites, supplementing and enriching the heritage of Ha Long Bay. From its core area, which is Ha Long Bay, diverse and rich tourist routes and destinations will be developed, creating attractiveness for visitors.

In order to preserve and promote traditional cultural values ​​and intangible cultural heritage in the area, Ha Long City has developed the "Ha Long - City of Festivals" project. The goal is to upgrade the scale of the Bang Ca Village Festival and the Le Thai To Temple Festival. In 2025, five traditional festivals will be restored and reorganized: the New Rice Festival of the Tay people in Dan Chu commune, the Dai Phan Festival of the San Diu ethnic group, the Loi Am Pagoda Festival, the Cai Lan Temple Festival, and the Long Tien Pagoda Festival.

The Tran Quoc Nghien Temple Festival will be included in a scientific dossier prepared by Ha Long City to propose its classification as a national intangible cultural heritage.

Besides traditional festivals, the city will also organize modern festivals such as: the Sport Sailing and Dragon Boat Racing Festival, the Cherry Blossom Festival and Japanese Culture Week, the Motorized Paragliding and Paragliding Festival, the Full Moon Festival and Artistic Light Show, the Ha Long Spring Flower Festival, the Flower Festival at Quang La Flower Paradise, the Guava Harvest Festival... At the same time, the city will also build a scientific dossier to propose the ranking of the Duc Ong Tran Quoc Nghien Temple Festival as a national intangible cultural heritage. These are considered very positive steps to exploit the advantages, potential, and value of heritage to serve the development of the heritage economy. The heritage economy is also mentioned in the pilot project for developing the night economy in the city, giai đoạn 2024-2025.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/le-hoi-tai-ha-long-co-gi-dac-sac-3340011.html