Food parcels are delivered at the annual Tran Thuong Temple festival in honor of 13th century national hero Tran Hung Dao. (Photo: VNA)

The annual food-distributing festival at Tran Thuong Temple in the northern province of Ha Nam opened on Saturday, the 8th day of the new lunar year, to pray for favorable weather, abundant harvests, prosperity, and peace. 

Tran Thuong temple is dedicated to Tran Hung Dao (1228-1300), the supreme commander of Vietnam in the Tran Dynasty, who repelled three major Mongolian invasions in the 13th century. The temple  is located in Nhan Dao commune of Ly Nhan district, which was chosen by Tran Hung Dao as a food storage area to supply his army during the fight against the invaders.

In honor of Saint Tran, a food-distributing festival is held annually at the temple. The delivery of food parcels this year will take place from 9:00 pm on Friday until dawn on Saturday, the first Full Moon day of the Lunar New Year.  

A palanquin procession at the 2024 Khai ha festival of the Muong. (Photo: VNA)

The Khai ha (going to the field) festival, the biggest traditional folk event of the Muong ethnic minority, kicked off in Phong Phu commune in the northwestern province of Hoa Binh on Saturday.

The 3-day festival features rituals to worship the land genies and the tutelary god, and a palanquin procession, accompanied by a performance of the Muong gongs involving 500 artists. Other activities include a Muong ethnic costume fashion show and an introduction of Muong cuisine. 

The festival, which honors deities and founders of the Muong community, was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2022. 

Saturday also witnessed a traditional wrestling competition in the northern province of Ha Nam and a boat race in the central province of Khanh Hoa. 

A program is taking place at the Kon Tum provincial Museum - Library in the Central Highlands to introduce the cultural identity and traditional handicrafts of local ethnic minorities.

A spring festival opened at Cao An Phu Temple in Kinh Mon town in the northern province of Hai Duong on Saturday. The temple is part of the An Phu-Kinh Chu-Nham Duong special national relic complex, which was recognized as a national treasure in 2017.