The festival of Lady Chua Xu of Sam Mountain was recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

On the evening of March 19, in Chau Doc City, the People's Committee of An Giang province solemnly held a ceremony to receive the UNESCO certificate recognizing the intangible cultural heritage of the Festival of Lady Chua Xu of Sam Mountain as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity; and at the same time, organized the opening ceremony of the Festival of Lady Chua Xu of Sam Mountain in 2025.

Attending the ceremony were former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh, leaders of several ministries, branches, provinces, cities and more than 2,000 people of An Giang province.

Domestic and foreign tourists attend the festival of Lady Chua Xu in Sam Mountain

PHOTO: TRAN NGOC

According to the People's Committee of An Giang province, Lady Xu is a spiritual figure, existing through many legends and in the beliefs of the people. It can be said that the Lady Xu festival on Sam mountain is a rich folk cultural phenomenon, playing an important role in folk life and positively influencing and impacting the spiritual life of a part of the population across the country.

With the spread of the belief in Ba Chua Xu and its great influence in the community, in 2001, the festival of Ba Chua Xu in Sam mountain was chosen as one of the typical festivals to organize the national tourism festival. By 2014, with its typical historical and cultural values ​​and special significance to the community, the festival was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In 2022, the Government approved the dossier of the festival of Lady Chua Xu of Sam Mountain to submit to UNESCO for consideration of recognition as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Festival activities of Lady Chua Xu of Sam Mountain

PHOTO: TRAN NGOC

In 2023, the Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations and the Indian Council for Global Trade and Technology honored the Via Ba Chua Xu Sam Mountain Festival as a typical cultural activity in Asia - Pacific. By the end of 2024, the festival was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is the first traditional festival in the Mekong Delta region to be honored as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of An Giang Provincial People's Committee, said that the Via Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam festival is a unique cultural festival of An Giang province. This is a traditional festival that has been preserved and practiced for many generations, demonstrating the identity and continuity of the Kinh community in the process of cultural, political and economic exchange with the Chinese, Khmer and Cham people. Through the festival, it contributes to connecting the spiritual life of the people, while helping to preserve the historical values ​​of our ancestors in the journey of opening up the southwestern land of the Fatherland. On December 4, 2024, the Via Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam festival was recognized by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This is an honor and pride for the government and community of An Giang province in particular and the whole country in general.