Ready to welcome visitors to the Po Nagar Cham Towers festival.

These days, preparations for the Po Nagar Cham Towers Festival are being carried out urgently. This year, the festival will take place from May 5th to 11th (March 19th to 25th in the lunar calendar), attracting much attention from locals, pilgrims, and domestic and international tourists.

Báo Khánh Hòa•03/05/2026

Many traditional rituals

For generations, the Po Nagar Tower Festival has always attracted the attention of many locals and tourists. It is one of the largest traditional folk festivals in the province, closely associated with the Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship and the Cham people's custom of worshipping the Mother Goddess. In 2012, the Po Nagar Tower Festival was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Every year, during the festival, people from within and outside the province eagerly flock to the Po Nagar Tower National Monument to perform rituals and prayers, seeking national peace and prosperity, favorable weather, a thriving country, and happy and prosperous families.

The Po Nagar Cham Towers National Special Monument - the site of the Po Nagar Cham Towers Festival.

According to Mr. Le Van Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism , this year, the Po Nagar Tower Festival will retain its traditional rituals such as: the water procession; the changing of the Mother Goddess's robes ceremony; the palanquin procession, prayers for the deceased and the release of lanterns; the prayer for national peace and prosperity; the incense offering ceremony; the noon offering ceremony; the Cham people's prayer for peace; the midnight offering ceremony; the traditional sacrificial ceremony; the coronation ceremony; the thanksgiving ceremony... The opening ceremony will take place on the evening of May 6th (the 20th day of the 3rd lunar month), with the participation of provincial leaders, local people, and tourists from all over. The opening ceremony program includes many important contents, reflecting the characteristics of the festival to honor Thien Ya Na Holy Mother. At the same time, it contributes to raising the sense of responsibility of all levels, sectors and the people in preserving and promoting the typical traditional cultural values of the province to domestic and international tourists. The organization of the festival will be ensured to be solemn and in accordance with traditional rituals. The festival should showcase the distinctive and outstanding characteristics of the traditional cultural identity of the Mother Goddess worship in Khanh Hoa; comply with current State regulations on festivals, beliefs, and civilized lifestyles; ensure security and safety, and meet the cultural and spiritual needs of local people and tourists attending the festival.

The Cham people bring offerings to the Po Nagar Cham Towers, a special national historical site, to present to the Mother Goddess.

Ensure the festival is organized in a solemn and meaningful manner.

In order to create an impressive and meaningful festival, preparations are being completed urgently. Each task has been assigned to members of the standing committee and the festival organizing subcommittees. "To date, more than 100 pilgrimage groups from within and outside the province have registered to participate with the Organizing Committee. It is expected that the number of groups will continue to increase by the festival day. Besides pilgrimage groups and groups practicing the Mother Goddess worship within the province, there will also be groups from many other localities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hue City, Da Nang City, Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Quang Ngai... attending the festival; the number of local people and tourists participating in the festival will also increase significantly, so preparations for the festival are being carried out meticulously, according to plan, ensuring solemnity, order, and safety," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang - Head of the Management Board of the Po Nagar Tower relic ( thuộc the Provincial Cultural Heritage Conservation Center).

Locals participate in the procession of palanquins during the Po Nagar Cham Towers Festival in 2025.

Currently, the festival organizing committee has installed over 1,100 square ^{meters of} prefabricated structures with paved floors to provide visitors with space for worship and rest, ensuring attentive, clean, and safe service. The main stage within the historical site grounds, as well as the stage for the memorial service and lantern release, has also been completed; approximately 8,000 lanterns are expected to be released on the Cai River. Environmental sanitation efforts have been strengthened with increased personnel and timely cleaning; security forces have been assigned to appropriate locations, effectively implementing coordinated plans between reinforced forces. Communes and wards with large Cham populations are also conducting awareness campaigns about the festival to ensure residents are well-informed. This includes disseminating information about festival regulations, support for the community during the festival, and advising pilgrims not to distribute offerings during the singing and dancing to the Mother Goddess to avoid disorder. With thorough preparation, this year's festival promises to bring meaningful and compliant days of celebration to the people, pilgrims, and tourists.