Tran Thu Huong, Secretary of Le Chan District Party Committee, Hai Phong City, beats the drum to open the Festival of Female General Le Chan 2024. Photo: VOV

The three-day festival, a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, was held at Nghe Temple, An Bien communal house, and General Le Chan monument. In addition to traditional rituals, the Festival offered a countryside market program, a martial arts festival, a human chess program and folk games, and Daffodil flower contest.

Nguyen Thi Bich, a resident of Hai Phong city and a festival goer, said “Mrs. Le Chan is the tutelary deity of Hai Phong, so the Festival has great significance in the minds of us. Hai Phong people are proud to be descendants of Mrs. Le Chan.”

The Festival of Female General Le Chan 2024 is held with traditional rituals, such as the incense offering ceremony to commemorate the Holy Birthday of Female General Le Chan and the Procession. Photo: VOV

According to folklore, Le Chan was born in Ven village, Dong Trieu town, Quang Ninh province. As the country was colonized by foreign invaders, she took her soldiers and relatives downstream to the estuary region, choosing the land of the eastern coastal region, now Hai Phong city, to establish a hamlet and recruit locals. They built dikes and encroached on the sea to create villages and communes, while training soldiers and horses, preparing to expel foreign invaders.

In the spring of 40, Le Chan joined the Trung Sisters' uprising army to fight against the invading army. She won resounding victories, was appointed Princess, received the seal of Eastern Protection Great General, and commanded the navy to defend the sea.