From a hundred-year-old ceremony to a "Sea Festival" of the fishing community, the festival is now a spiritual support, a bridge for livelihood and also an opportunity for people to escape poverty based on the cultural values left by their ancestors.
From the hundred-year ceremony to the "Seastern Festival" of Can Gio fishermen
We traveled from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to Can Gio to learn about the traditional Nghinh Ong festival here for many generations. Talking to us was Mr. Bay No - the person who has been looking after Mr. Thuy Tuong Mausoleum in Can Gio for many years.
He told us about the Nghinh Ong festival that is closely associated with the people of Can Gio. He said that on the occasion of the 8th lunar month festival every year, from early morning, the road leading to Can Thanh sea was crowded with people. In the midst of the waves is the small call of fishermen preparing boats for the Nghinh Ong ceremony - the most sacred ceremony in the series of festival activities.
According to our research, the whale worship (Than Nam Hai) has existed in this land for more than a century. According to local documents, the festival was formed in the year of the duties of 2023 and was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. For Can Gio people, Ong fish is not only a god of saving lives at sea but also a symbol of gratitude for the ocean - the source of eternal life.
From a simple ceremony during the quiet sea days, the festival has gradually expanded, becoming the biggest festival of the fishing community. Traditional rituals are still preserved intact: the service of the Rung Sac Martyrs' Cemetery, the service of the Heroic Martyrs' Temple; the Great Exaltation Ceremony; the worship of the old-time friend of the poor - the old-time friend of the poor; the Nghinh Ong on the Sea ceremony; the Tuc yet ceremony, the Cau - Dai Boi at Ong Thuy Tuong Mausoleum. All were done solemnly, with the participation of a large number of people.
At Lang Ong, Mr. Bay No said that on the occasion of the festival, the incense never goes out. The people brought rustic offerings - flower branch branch pieces, freshly picked fruits in the garden, some cakes, fish, fresh squid - to light the incense supper, sending wishes for a peaceful sea season. Many people worship and remind each other of the old story: the times He saved boats during storms, the bumper sea trips right after the Nghinh Ong period.
Mr. Bay No emotionally said: Can Gio people really respect Mr. Ca for helping the sea people. I was told that when people were lost at sea, their boats had problems, the whale helped them. We also preserve the whale skeleton and a series of commemorative photos of whale here".
For fishermen in Can Gio in general and Mr. Bay No in particular, the festival is not only to worship him. This is the time to summarize a sea season, share fishing experiences, and invite each other to prepare for the new wind season. After months of wandering, they need a day to stand on the shore, looking back on their journey. Sea Tet becomes an important milestone that the whole community is looking forward to, like farmers waiting for the rice harvest season to bloom.
To learn more about festivals in Can Gio and the lives of Can Gio people, we have contacted Ms. Diem Phuong - Vice Chairman of Can Gio Commune People's Committee. She said: "In recent years, festivals and cultural and artistic programs in Can Gio commune have had a positive impact on the spiritual life of the people. These activities contribute to preserving local cultural identity, creating community living space, enhancing pride and social cohesion. At the same time, it helps people relax, access healthy cultural values and enhance the quality of spiritual life".
In parallel with Ms. Diem Phuong's sharing, Mr. Vo Van Son - Deputy Chief of Office of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City - also shared with us that Can Gio is a remote area of Ho Chi Minh City. The Department said that the city has proactively upgraded the Can Gio Nghinh Festival to the city level, helping the event become a highlight imbued with the identity of the sea and islands and attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year. After the arrangement of administrative units, the Department continues to maintain this orientation and considers the festival a "cultural bridge" between the local community and tourists.
Along with Nghinh Ong, folk arts such as the talented singing xoor, fishing village cultural exchange programs... are also maintained and innovated to suit the modern context, thereby creating a unique cultural living space for Can Gio people.
The Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City believes that festivals not only serve spiritual life but also contribute to creating livelihoods, as the number of tourists to Can Gio has increased steadily in recent years.
awakening tourism potential, helping people reduce poverty
The Nghinh Ong Can Gio Festival has been considered a "sea cultural meeting place" of Ho Chi Minh City for many years. The city believes this is an opportunity to both preserve heritage and create momentum for the development of the marine economy and community tourism - two important pillars to improve people's lives.
In 2025, the festival will be organized richly but still focus on culture and livelihoods. stimulating trade fairs, OCOP product exhibition areas, seafood booths, traditional craft introduction spaces, indigenous cultural experience areas... attract tens of thousands of people. Tourists coming to Can Gio not only watch the festival, but also buy seafood, use accommodation services, eat, visit mangrove forests, creating a significant source of income for the people.
Ms. Diem Phuong - Vice Chairman of Can Gio Commune People's Committee - shared: "Traditional festivals, tourism events and art programs in Can Gio have contributed to supporting economic development and poverty reduction for people in practical and direct ways, especially for households working in the sea, services and small traders, such as: Increasing income during the holiday season: Increasing number of tourists helps fishermen consume seafood faster, prices are stable; small traders, shops, food and accommodation services have more revenue, especially small-scale households.
Expanding livelihoods for poor households: Many people participate in festival activities such as street vending, vehicle rental, parking, seasonal workers... creating additional revenue and reducing unemployment pressure.
Connecting the marine economy with tourism: Cultural - tourism promotion programs help enhance the value of local products (mariana products, specialties, handicrafts, OCOP products), supporting people to gradually switch from pure exploitation to services associated with sustainable tourism.
Stabilizing long-term life: When the economy is associated with festivals and tourism, people are motivated to preserve their profession, preserve culture, improve trading and service skills, thereby contributing to sustainable poverty reduction.
In short, festival activities and cultural - tourism events not only have spiritual significance but are also an important economic lever, helping Can Gio people, especially seafood households and traders, improve their income and stabilize their lives".
Mr. Vo Van Son - Deputy Chief of Office of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City - added that cultural - tourism activities help people develop food, accommodation, and local specialties, thereby contributing to poverty reduction. In the coming time, Ho Chi Minh City aims to build Nghinh Ong event into Nghinh Ong Festival Ho Chi Minh City, connecting with a series of similar festivals in Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Binh Duong, forming a regional festival network.
A representative of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City said that the city's goal is to bring cultural activities closer to the lives of people in all areas, especially in the suburbs such as Can Gio, while creating motivation to promote tourism - services associated with indigenous culture.
