Old Tet in ancient village
During Tet days, stepping into Dong Son ancient village (Ham Rong ward, Thanh Hoa province), visitors can easily feel the spring rhythm creeping through each mossy tile roof, each small alley paved with red tiles winding around. Not noisy, not bustling, Dong Son during Tet has a quiet, warm look like an old house that has just been lit for reunion.
In order to unleash local tourism potential and spread traditional cultural values, from December 25th to the end of the 5th day of Lunar New Year, Ham Rong Ward People's Committee organizes the program "Old Tet, Ancient Village" Binh Ngo Spring 2026.
Mr. Pham Duc Toan - Chairman of Ham Rong Ward People's Committee - said that the program is organized with the spirit of inheriting and promoting the good values of traditional Tet, creating an experience space for people and tourists, vividly recreating the Tet picture of Northern rural villages.
The rural market space is arranged next to Pham Thong Pagoda, selling rustic products, from cakes and fruits, jams and candies to local agricultural products. Here, visitors can both visit, shop, and feel the bustling pace of life before the New Year.
The highlight is the Chung cake cooking contest. Households together wrap cakes, light fires, cook all night. The kitchen smoke blends in the spring mist, the chatter beside the pot of cakes evokes the typical gathering scene of Vietnamese Tet.
At the village football field, many folk games such as tug-of-war, ô ăn quan, shuttlecock kicking, blindfolded goat catching... take place from the 2nd to the 5th day of Tet, bringing the clear laughter of young children and community cohesion in the first days of the year.
At the same time, check-in points are arranged at village gates, rural markets, alleys Nhan - Nghia - Tri - Dung - Mieu Nhi, creating spring corners imbued with the breath of traditional culture.
These activities are not only a bridge connecting, helping to preserve and spread the cultural depth of Dong Son ancient village, but also awakening pride in each person about preserving family customs and ancient customs" - Mr. Toan shared.
Ms. Luong Thi Thuoc (74 years old), who has been attached to the village for almost a lifetime, emotionally said: "This Tet holiday is very happy. The program'Old Tet, ancient village' reminds me of the image of the rural Tet market in the old days. People and tourists come in large numbers, everyone praises the village for being beautiful, I feel warm in my heart.
The thousand-year-old village
Dong Son ancient village is considered one of the 10 most beautiful ancient villages in Vietnam, along with Duong Lam (Hanoi), Nom village (Hung Yen), Dong Ho painting village (Bac Ninh). This place converges all the archaeological, historical and cultural values, scenic spots, resistance revolution and traditional architecture.
In this village, Western scientists have discovered many antiques belonging to Dong Son culture dating back more than 2,500 years. This is also the first place to excavate ancient Dong Son bronze drums associated with the Hung Kings era.
Through many historical changes, the village still retains its traditional structure with "fig tree, well, communal house yard", stone walls covered with green moss and small alleys named Nhan, Nghia, Tri, Dung - symbols of the moral values of Vietnamese people.
Currently, the village still has 13 ancient houses, of which the most prominent is the house over 200 years old of Mr. Luong Trong Due, recognized as a provincial-level ancient house architectural relic since 2006.
Besides, there is a system of valuable relics such as the temple of the second tutelary god Trinh The Loi, Pham Thong Pagoda, an ancient well over 2,000 years old; especially the temple of Saint Le Uy and Tran Khat Chan has been ranked as a National Historical and Cultural Relic.
In the midst of modern life, Dong Son still quietly preserves the soul of thousands of years. And every spring, when the sound of festival drums and children's laughter echoes next to the pot of red-hot banh chung, that village once again continues the story of Vietnamese Tet - a story of memories, of tradition and of persistent continuation through generations.
