Colourful Bach Dang traditional festival

Bach Dang traditional festival is taking place in Quang Yen town to mark three significant victories of the Vietnamese people against foreign aggressors on the historic Bach Dang River.

The festival was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in November, 2021.

Bach Dang River has gone down in history with three great victories in Vietnam’s history of national construction and defence. In 938, Ngo Quyen defeated the Southern Han forces in a battle that ended more than 1,000 years of Chinese rule and regained independence for Vietnam. In 981, Le Hoan won against the Song army to firmly safeguard Vietnam’s sovereignty and in 1288 Tran Hung Dao beat the powerful Mongols to protect Vietnam from the Mongol conquest.

Bach Dang Festival is held annually to pay tribute to the contributions of the forefathers and affirm the significance of the victories on Bach Dang River.

The highlight of the festival is a procession carrying the statue of Tran Hung Dao, a celebrated Tran Dynasty general, from his temple through major streets in Quang Yen Town to the Yen Giang communal temple. This year, there is also a procession of the certificate reconizing Bach Dang Traditional Festival as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

In addition to the main ritual, the three-day festival also features a wide range of other activities such as a photo exhibition, an OCOP trade fair, a calligraphy exhibition, folk games and art programmes.