On the evening of March 6, the Con Son Spring Festival - Kiep Bac 2026 took place in the yard of Con Son Pagoda with solemn traditional rituals and special art programs.
The event is an important opportunity to promote the values of the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac historical and scenic complex, which has just been recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site.
Through the festival, the outstanding values of history, culture, beliefs and landscape of the relic site are widely introduced to people and domestic and international tourists, contributing to raising community awareness about heritage preservation and promoting cultural tourism development.
The opening program includes two parts: the ceremony part and the festival part. The ceremony part is solemnly organized with Buddhist rituals, offering incense to commemorate the Third Patriarch Truc Lam Huyen Quang Ton Gia. The festival part is an art program recreating the cultural and historical space of Con Son - Kiep Bac land, honoring the values of the Truc Lam Zen sect in the national spiritual life.
The performances are elaborately staged with the participation of many artists, professional actors and the masses, combining music, dance, stage performance with modern sound and lighting systems, creating a solemn and emotional art space.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Minh Hung - Vice Chairman of Hai Phong City People's Committee, Head of the Festival Organizing Committee, emphasized that Con Son - Kiep Bac is a "land of outstanding people", associated with national history and culture. Since the 14th century, Con Son has become one of the major Buddhist centers of the Truc Lam Zen sect - a Zen sect imbued with Vietnamese identity, with a profound influence on the political, cultural and spiritual life of the Tran Dynasty.
Huyen Quang Ton Gia - real name Ly Dao Tai, born in 1254 - was a famous intellectual of the time, passed the Doctorate at the age of 21, used to be an official at the Academy before giving up his officialdom to practice. He, along with Buddha Emperor Tran Nhan Tong and Phap Loa, became Truc Lam Tam To, contributing to propagating Buddhism and developing the Truc Lam Zen sect.
In his later years, Huyen Quang became abbot at Con Son Pagoda, built the Nine Lotus Lotus, compiled scriptures and developed Con Son into Ky Lan monastic academy - a major Buddhist center of the Tran Dynasty. On January 23, 1334, he passed away at Con Son Pagoda and was posthumously honored as Truc Lam Zen Master, the third generation, Huyen Quang Ton Gia.
His death anniversary has become the origin of the Con Son - Kiep Bac Spring Traditional Festival, held annually, attracting a large number of people and tourists from all directions.
With special values, the Con Son - Kiep Bac Relic Site has been ranked as a national relic since 1962; the traditional festival was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2012. Many artifacts in the relic site such as the "Thanh Hu Dong" stele, the "Con Son Tu Phuc Tu Bi" stele, and the "Tam The Buddha" statue set of Con Son Pagoda have been recognized as national treasures.
In July 2025, the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac relic and scenic complex was officially recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, affirming the outstanding global value of the relic system associated with the formation and development of the Truc Lam Zen sect.
