On the evening of May 6th (ie March 20th of the lunar calendar), at Ba Ponagar Tower (Bac Nha Trang ward), the opening ceremony of the 2026 Ba Ponagar Tower Festival officially took place, attracting a large number of people and tourists to attend.
Secretary of Khanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee Tran Phong beats the drums to open the Ponagar Tower Festival in 2026.
The Ponagar Tower relic was built from about the 8th to 13th centuries, and is one of the typical architectural works bearing the imprint of transition from My Son A1 style to Binh Dinh style.
Currently, the relic still preserves many precious values such as 14 imperial decrees (including 6 Nguyen Dynasty imperial decrees for Thien Y A Na), along with a system of 28 minh van in Sanskrit and ancient Cham scripts. This is a clear proof of the intersection of Vietnamese - Cham culture over many centuries.
Not only has tangible value, Ponagar Tower is also a major center of Mother Goddess worship in the South Central region, associated with the image of Holy Mother Thien Y A Na - Mother of the Land, respected by the Vietnamese and Cham communities.
The festival takes place annually from March 20th to 23rd of the lunar calendar, and is one of the largest traditional festivals in the Central region.
In 2012, the festival was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage. By 2025, the relic was ranked as a special national relic according to the Prime Minister's decision.
According to Mr. Nguyen Long Bien - Standing Vice Chairman of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Festival Organizing Committee - said that this year's festival continues to fully maintain traditional rituals such as: water procession ceremony, Mother Goddess changing ceremony, palanquin procession ceremony, national peace and prosperity prayer ceremony, traditional worship ceremony, king worship ceremony... and many unique cultural activities.
Notably, the 2026 festival is expected to welcome more than 100 delegations practicing Mother Goddess worship, with tens of thousands of people and pilgrims coming to offer incense and visit.
In addition, periodic art programs such as "Lung linh xu Tram" and "Trang soi dáng Thap" continue to be maintained, contributing to enriching the cultural and tourist experience at the relic.
The organization of festivals is implemented to ensure solemnity, in accordance with traditional rituals, and at the same time comply with regulations on festival civilization, security and safety, meeting the cultural and spiritual needs of people and tourists.
