This is the biggest and most special spring festival in Ha Nam island, Quang Yen town, to commemorate the merits of the ancestors in the discovery and establishment of the village, and at the same time is an occasion for descendants to celebrate the longevity of the elderly.
Tien Cong Temple, Cam La Commune, Quang Yen Town is a place to worship 17 Tien Cong - people from Thang Long, Nam Dinh who migrated here in the 15th century to reclaim land, build dikes to reclaim land from the sea, and establish the Ha Nam island region as it is today.
Tien Cong Festival 2025 is an important event in the series of activities to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 - February 3, 2025) and respond to the National Tourism Year 2025.
Through the event, Quang Yen Town introduces and promotes the unique values of Tien Cong Festival - National Intangible Cultural Heritage, honoring the traditions of the people of Ha Nam island. Thereby, arousing national pride, solidarity, preserving and promoting cultural values, contributing to the socio-economic development of the locality.
Tien Cong Festival 2025 takes place over three days from February 2-4 (January 5-7) with many cultural, sports and folk games such as human chess, to tom diem, swinging, tug of war, stick pushing, dum singing, and love singing.
The highlight is the ceremony of carrying Mr. Thuong to Tien Cong temple on the main festival day (January 7).
This year, the festival has three collective processions with 35 elders and nearly 200 seniors leading the ceremony to the temple. The elders who are 80, 90, and 100 years old will be carried by their children and grandchildren on palanquins to the Tien Cong temple to perform the ceremony to honor their ancestors.
The Tien Cong Festival in Ha Nam Island has been maintained by the people for more than 300 years. In 2017, the festival was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Every year, the festival attracts 30,000 - 40,000 visitors and locals. Maintaining the festival is not only an opportunity for villagers to commemorate the merits of the ancestors, but also helps educate the younger generation about the tradition of "When drinking water, remember its source", preserving and promoting the unique cultural values of the locality.
