From the 2nd to noon on the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year Binh Ngo 2026, the Bich La Market Festival will take place in the Bich La Dong village communal house and temple area, Trieu Phong commune.
The ceremony part is solemnly deployed with many traditional rituals, in which the 2nd night of Tet is the opening ceremony of the festival and the program "Village of fun, village of singing". In the early morning of the 3rd day of Tet is the Golden Turtle God Worshiping Ceremony - a ritual imbued with spiritual elements, associated with the legend of the golden turtle mascot once residing in the lake in front of the village communal house.
According to folk legend, every time a golden turtle rises to the surface of the water, villagers encounter favorable weather and bumper crops. When the turtle does not appear, natural disasters strike. Since then, the Golden Turtle God Worshiping Ceremony has been maintained as a ritual to pray for peace and fortune at the beginning of the year, becoming a unique feature of Bich La Dinh Market.
Besides the ceremony part, there is a lively festival part, after the opening, the program "Play village, singing village" gathers art performances of the five armored soldiers of Bich La. The Bai Choi festival takes place throughout the night from the 2nd to the morning of the 3rd day of Tet. On the morning of the 3rd, there are chess competitions, beautiful handwriting competitions for students and many folk games such as pushing sticks, sack dancing, going to the monkey bridge, catching ducks.
A special highlight is the traditional market section taking place from 6 pm on the 2nd to 11 am on the 3rd day of Tet. In which, people gather crowded at the market at midnight and early morning. This is a market that only meets once a year, existing for hundreds of years.
Bich La people bring to the market rustic agricultural products and products made by their own hands such as figs, sugarcane, salt, betel and areca... Each product sends a wish: prosperity, sweetness, saltiness, and durability.
For the 4th consecutive time coming to the communal house market, Ms. Truong Thi Hoai (36 years old, residing in Khe Sanh commune, Quang Tri province) said that although Tet has many destinations, her whole family prioritizes coming here. At the market, Ms. Hoai lit incense in the middle of the communal house, then strolled through the calligraphy writing area, stopped to buy God of Wealth leaves, green tea leaves and a bag of salt with a lighter.
My house is in Khe Sanh, nearly 100km from here, but my hometown is near the communal market. For a long time, I have heard relatives mention the custom of holding communal markets on the night of the 2nd to dawn of the 3rd day of Tet, people who come to the market to buy or sell anything have fortune to bring back. After 3 times going to the market, I still want to come here with my family, and everyone is satisfied" - Ms. Truong Thi Hoai shared.
The unique feature of Bich La Dinh Market is that sellers do not bargain, buyers do not bid. The buying and selling means "buying fortune at the beginning of the year", creating a friendly and rustic atmosphere. Bich La Dinh Market Festival 2026 is therefore not only a spring market, but also an opportunity for the community to meet, express gratitude to ancestors, preserve cultural memories and spread homeland identity.
Mr. Le Xuan Luong - Vice Chairman of Trieu Phong Commune People's Committee said that the organizers do not collect market fees to encourage people to participate. The commune has directed the police force to ensure traffic safety, avoid congestion on the road to the communal market, strictly handle gambling forms and spontaneous parking spots that obstruct traffic. The inspection of food safety and hygiene at food and beverage stalls during the festival has also been tightened.
