At the ceremony, the municipal leaders also burnt incense to pay tribute to Nguyen Huu Canh, who founded the Saigon – Gia Dinh region (now HCM City) in 1698. This is one of traditional activities in HCM City during the Lunar New Year festival to honour traditional cultural values and praise great contributions of the Hung Kings to national construction. The event is aimed at promoting patriotism, especially among younger generations in HCMC, as well as strengthen national unity.