The Going to the Field Festival is one of the major traditional festivals of the residents of Ha Nam island region. The festival has been included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Tran Manh Thang - Chairman of Phong Coc Ward People's Committee - emphasized that the festival is an important cultural, sports, and tourism event of the locality, responding to a series of activities to celebrate the 2026 National Tourism Year, celebrating Quang Ninh province becoming a centrally-run city.
The Going to the Field festival originated from the "Ha Dien" and "Thuong Dien" rituals of residents of Ha Nam island region, organized before entering the rice harvest season.
This year's festival takes place on two days, July 18 and 19, i.e., June 5 and 6 of the lunar calendar.
The ceremony part includes rituals of worship, incense offering, transplanting into the field and farewell worship.
After the incense offering ceremony at Coc communal house, the chief priest goes down to the rice field in front of the communal house, planting the first rice plants, opening a new crop season.
According to local customs, people only start planting rice in their family's fields after this ritual is completed.
Next is the transplanting contest, attracting people from neighborhoods to participate.
Contestants wear brown shirts, hats, and compete in quick transplanting, but still must ensure proper technique, straight, even, and correctly spaced seedlings.
In the festival part, the boat racing race is held on the Cua Dinh River, with male and female teams from neighborhoods in Phong Coc and Lien Hoa wards.
The teams competed in 3 swimming sections: "Yet Swimming", "Giai Ha Swimming" and "Chung Cuoc Swimming".
According to the Organizing Committee, Ha Nam island region used to be a large tidal flat at the mouth of the Bach Dang River. When the tide rises, most of the alluvial grounds are flooded, leaving only some high land areas.
In 1434, under the reign of King Le Thai Tong, many Tien Cong groups, including 17 Tien Congs from Thang Long capital, came to the tidal flat area to build dikes, encroach on the sea, reclaim land and establish villages.
Through many generations, the sea dike ring surrounding the Ha Nam island area is 34 km long.
Ha Nam island region currently includes two wards Phong Coc and Lien Hoa, with a population of more than 60,000 people.
Currently, Phong Coc ward is coordinating with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to study and prepare a dossier to submit to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to rank Coc communal house and Coc temple as a special national relic.
