Top 10 Most Unique Festivals In Vietnam That You Should Explore

1. Overview of festivals in Vietnam

Festivals in Vietnam offer fascinating experiences where visitors can participate in local traditions, sample authentic cuisine, and participate in age-old rituals. Each festival tells a story, interwoven with legends and history that have shaped the nation's identity.
Additionally, participating in festivals in Vietnam allows visitors to connect deeply with the local community, providing unforgettable memories and a greater appreciation of Vietnamese culture. In the article below, we will share with you information about the most unique festivals so you can add them to your journey to explore Vietnam.

2. Top 10 Most Unique Festivals In Vietnam That You Should Explore

2.1. Lim Association - Bac Ninh

• Location: Lim village, Tien Du district, Bac Ninh province
• Time: The 12th and 13th day of the first lunar month

Lim Festival is also known as the Lim Village Pagoda Festival. This festival is held in 3 communes: Noi Due, Lien Bao, and Lim town. This is one of the folk festivals known to many tourists with many entertainment activities such as wrestling, martial arts, chess, loom weaving, rice cooking, and especially cruises singing quan ho. At the same time, honor the art of Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk singing. This type of art was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.

2.2. Hung Temple Festival - Phu Tho

• Location: Hung Temple, Phong Chau District, Phu Tho Province
• Time: March 10th of the lunar calendar

The Hung Temple Festival is held annually in Phu Tho province, about 90 km from Hanoi. This is one of the important festivals of Vietnam, commemorating the 18 Hung Kings—the founders and first emperors of the country. This festival is held annually with many activities, such as offering incense at Hung Temple with attractive games such as making banh chung, playing bronze drums and gongs, pulling rice to blow fire, and other forms of art.

See more in this video: Hung Temple Festival - Phu Tho

2.3. Perfume Pagoda Festival - Hanoi

• Location: Huong Pagoda, Huong Son commune, My Duc district, Hanoi
• Time: From January 6 to the end of the third lunar month

The Perfume Pagoda Festival is not simply a religious event but also has profound cultural, spiritual, and community meaning. The Huong Pagoda Festival is associated with the folk belief of worshiping Ba Chua Ba. Legend has it that Princess Dieu Thien practiced for 9 years at Huong Son, then attained Buddhahood to save sentient beings.
The Huong Pagoda Festival has many activities organized, such as offering incense, offering musical instruments, cheo singing, mountain climbing, boat racing, worshiping literature, etc. This festival attracts pilgrims from all over the country and foreign tourists.

2.4. Hue Festival

• Location: Hue Ancient Capital, Hue, Vietnam
• Time: Around April, May or June (every two years)

Hue Festival is a series of unique festivals that bring a splendid space for Hue tourists to visit and experience, not only for domestic tourists but also attracting international friends to participate.
The festival takes place every two years to celebrate the cultural heritage of the Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam's last feudal dynasty. Lasting a week, the event offers visitors a series of exciting programs, including art and calligraphy exhibitions, live music performances, acrobatics, puppet shows, and the "Ao Dai" fashion show. In addition, this Vietnamese festival also has interesting activities such as boat racing, kite flying, and human flags, with unique dance and fireworks performances, etc.

2.5. Giong Festival - Hanoi

• Location: Soc Temple, Phu Linh commune, Soc Son district, Hanoi
• Time: From the 6th to the 8th of the first lunar month

Giong Festival is a rare festival in Vietnam recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is a festival held to praise the heroic feat of Thanh Giong, one of the "four immortals" of Vietnamese culture.
The Giong Festival is held in many different locations, but Soc Temple is the most famous location. Attendees can witness various ceremonies, including palanquin processions, cleaning statues, and offering incense, providing insight into the life and meaning of Thanh Giong—a legendary figure of Vietnam.

2.6. Hoi An Lantern Festival

• Location: Hoi An Ancient Town, Minh An Ward, Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province
• Time: 14th lunar day of every month

The Hoi An Lantern Festival is held on the 14th day of the lunar month, but the full moon night of the Mid-Autumn Festival is the most beautiful and sparkling night of the year. During the festival, all electric lights from the old houses and shops here are turned off.
Besides, a series of lanterns full of colorful colors will be hung by Hoi An people on their front porches and everywhere along each street, creating a sparkling, magical scene. Hoi An Lantern Festival not only attracts foreign tourists but also attracts local Vietnamese people. This is also an ideal opportunity to enjoy inspiring performances, participate in folk games, and enjoy delicious Hoi An street food, as well as release flower lanterns here.

2.7. Khau Vai love market festival in Ha Giang

• Location: Khau Vai village, Khau Vai commune, Meo Vac district, Ha Giang province
• Time: March 26 and 27 of the lunar calendar every year

Khau Vai Love Market Festival in Ha Giang province is an interesting festival, showing the beauty of Vietnam's ethnic minorities. Originating in 1919, the Khau Vai love market festival has been maintained for more than a hundred years as a traditional cultural beauty.
Participating in this event, you can experience the vibrant culture, melodious melodies, and attractive folk games of the ethnic people. Today, the Khau Vai love market festival has become an indispensable part of Ha Giang tourism because of the uniqueness and cultural identity conveyed through the love market.

2.8. Ponagar Pagoda Festival in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa

• Location: 61 Hai Thang Tu, Vinh Phuoc District, Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province
• Time: From the 20th to the 23rd of the third lunar month

Held in the Ponagar Cham Tower complex, a famous tourist attraction in the beautiful coastal city of Nha Trang. Ponagar Temple Festival is a unique festival that attracts thousands of tourists every year. The festival commemorates the venerable Holy Mother Yana, known to the Cham community as Mother Po Inu Nagar. During the festival, you have the opportunity to witness many majestic traditional rituals, such as offering incense, changing clothes, releasing flower lanterns to pray for death, or offering alms, etc.

2.9. Ba Chua Xu Temple Festival in An Giang

• Location: Ba Chua Xu Temple, Sam Mountain, Chau Doc City, An Giang Province
• Time: From the 23rd to the 27th of the 4th lunar month

The Ba Chua Xu Festival in Sam Mountain has existed for a long time, imbued with the national cultural identity of the residents of the Southern river region. This festival was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016. This is a traditional festival inherited through many generations of the Kinh community during cultural exchanges with the Chinese, Khmer, and Cham people. At this festival, activities are often held, such as opening the festival, a procession of Ba statues, bathing Ba, releasing lanterns, and art painting exhibitions.

2.10. Phu Day Festival

• Location: Phu Day Historical - Cultural Relic Area, Kim Thai commune, Vu Ban district, Nam Dinh province.
• Time: from the 3rd to the 8th of the third lunar month every year.

Phu Day Festival (also known as Phu Giay Festival, Holy Mother Festival) is associated with the legend of Holy Mother Lieu Hanh, a symbol of the "four immortals" of Vietnamese folk. Since the practice of the Vietnamese belief in worshiping the Mother Goddess of the Three Realms has been recognized by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity with unique worshiping rituals, the Phu Day Festival has become an increasingly attractive spiritual tourism destination for domestic and international tourists.
Every year during the festival season, thousands of tourists flock to Phu Day to practice spiritual beliefs according to the Mother Goddess worship custom and, at the same time, visit and admire the unique architectural complex, where the art of adoration singing originated.

3. Final thoughts