Opening of the Four Holy Beasts boat racing festival on Ly Son island. Photo: VOV

The boat racing festival, held on Ly Son island at the beginning of the new year, is a tradition that has been maintained for nearly 200 years.

The festival, listed as a national intangible cultural heritage, has honored ancestors who reclaimed the island and warriors who fought for the country’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes. 

Nguyen Thanh Phuong, a representative of the Communal House Committee of An Vinh village, Ly Son district, Quang Ngai province, said that boat racing festival in early spring represents a gesture of gratitude to the ancestors' merits and prays for fortune, peace and smooth voyages for the fishermen.

"Every year during the Lunar New Year, the Communal House Committee holds a boat racing opening ceremony with the purpose of celebrating the new spring, praying for prosperity in agriculture and fishery, peace in the country and people, and preserving the long-standing culture for our children and grandchildren," according to Phuong.