Yen Tu to host “Meditative autumn colors” festival in Q4
“Yen Tu - Meditative autumn colors” festival is going to be held in the fourth quarter of 2025 in order to preserve, promote, and celebrate the values of the World Heritage Site of Yen Tu, featuring a vibrant series of cultural, sports, and tourism events. The festival is scheduled to open at the end of September with captivating artistic performances.
From July 15 to early September, a variety of activities will take place to celebrate the Party Congress at all levels and UNESCO's recognition of the Yen Tu -Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac complex as a World Cultural Heritage Site.
Highlights include a logo design contest for the ward; the announcement of Khe Song - Thac Bac as a new tourism site; the launch of digitized tourism products, including VR360 tours of Hang Son pagoda, Ho Mountain cave, and Xep Bang Mountain Cave; and the organization of the “Yen Tu ultra trail: Discover heritage - Spread the essence” marathon event.
From September through December, the festival will feature a series of core events: autumn-themed art creation, the “Autumn in Yen Tu” photo contest, poetry and music performances, art exhibitions, a lantern-making competition, Mid-Autumn lantern parades, traditional art performances by the Dao Thanh Y ethnic group, cultural exchanges around the campfire, floating lantern rituals, and more. Especially notable is the “Yen Tu heritage - Touch the legacy” race, expected to take place on November 15-16 and attract thousands of runners and visitors.
The festival also includes showcases of the Dao Thanh Y culture, such as traditional performances, reenactments of the New Year worship ceremony and the coming-of-age ceremony (Cap Sac), a recognized national intangible cultural heritage.
Visitors can also participate in a range of immersive activities at the foot of the sacred Yen Tu Mountain, including the “Sunrise at Dong pagoda” tour, the “In the footsteps of King-Buddha Tran Nhan Tong” spiritual journey, the “Sacred sounds of Yen Tu” art show, the “Essence of Vietnamese Culture” music performance, and the “Legend of Nuong village” tour.
Additional hands-on experiences include horseback riding, archery, bottle-cap shooting, folk games, and enjoying countryside markets and vegetarian cuisine.
The “Yen Tu - Meditative autumn colors” festival not only diversifies the region’s cultural-spiritual tourism offerings but also highlights the enduring values of the Truc Lam Zen tradition. It marks a significant effort to preserve and promote the Yen Tu World Heritage Site while stimulating tourism and sustainable cultural development in the region.
