The origin of the century-old bird's nest profession on Hon Noi island
On June 24th (ie May 10th of the lunar calendar), at Hon Noi bird's nest island, Khanh Hoa Bird's Nest State One Member Limited Liability Company organized the Khanh Hoa Bird's Nest Festival 2026.
Attending the ceremony were Mr. Tran Phong - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Khanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee, and the community of bird's nest workers across the country.
According to historical records, 697 years ago, during a business trip to the South, Governor of the Tran Dynasty Le Van Dat discovered natural swiftlet islands in the sea area of Binh Khang prefecture (now Khanh Hoa province).
From this historical milestone, Khanh Hoa bird's nest craft was born, becoming a unique traditional craft, imbued with the imprint of Vietnamese sea and island culture.
Mr. Le Van Dat is honored as the Founder of the Khanh Hoa Bird's Nest profession. Through many generations, experience in exploiting and processing bird's nests has been passed down, forming valuable professional knowledge.
By the 18th century, An Phu Su Le Van Quang - descendant of the ancestor of the bird's nest profession and Dinh chief of Bich Dam and his daughter, Mrs. Le Thi Huyen Tram, Great Admiral of the Tay Son Navy, made many contributions to protecting and developing bird's nest resources.
On May 10th of the year Ky Suu (1793), in the battle to protect territorial waters and swallow islands, Saint Mother Le Thi Huyen Tram, along with her father and Tay Son naval generals, heroically sacrificed themselves.
Since then, she has been respected by the people as the Island Lord Thanh Mau, and a temple has been built at Hon Noi Bird's Nest Island - a place considered a sacred land for the Khanh Hoa bird's nest profession.
Every year on the 10th day of the 5th lunar month, the Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Festival is held to commemorate the merits of the predecessors.
The bird's nest museum will be a place to tell a 700-year story
Mr. Le Ngoc Hung (61 years old), belonging to the Le clan in Vinh Nguyen (Nha Trang), said that he continues the bird's nest profession from his ancestors.
Hon Noi Bird's Nest Island is always a special place for those in the profession. This is a place associated with the history of formation and development of Khanh Hoa bird's nest profession" - Mr. Hung shared.
Ms. Trinh Thi Hong Van - Chairwoman of the Member Council of Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company said that 2025 marks an important turning point when Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Exploitation and Processing Knowledge and Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Festival are recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
This recognition is recognition of the historical, cultural and professional knowledge values preserved by many generations.
Towards the 700th anniversary of the Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest profession, the Company is implementing many activities to preserve and promote the traditional craft values.
In which, the company conducts research and publishes the book "Khanh Hoa Bird's Nest - Journey of Construction, Transmission and Development" to systematize the history of the industry, recognizing the contributions of generations that have protected and developed bird's nest resources.
In particular, the project to build the Khanh Hoa Bird's Nest Industry Museum is being promoted. The project aims to become a place to preserve artifacts, documents, craft stories and cultural values associated with the nearly 700-year journey of the bird's nest industry.
It is expected that the selection of architectural options will be completed in early Q4/2026, contributing to creating an impression on the journey towards the milestone of 700 years of Khanh Hoa bird's nest profession.
