The annual Nghinh Ong or Whale WorshipFestival, a traditional festival for fishermen, will begin on Oct. 2 inHCM City ’s only coastal district, Can Gio.
The manager of the district’s Department of Culture and Information,Nguyen Van Tot, said that the four-day festival would open at severalvenues at 8am in Can Thanh Town.
On the third day, a ceremonial offering will be made by village eldersin the traditional manner to show people’s gratitude to the whale andcommemorate those fishermen that had died at sea.
The offering, one of the highlights of the entire festival, willfeature a palanquin procession from Lang Ong Thuy Tuong, or the WhaleTomb, to the sea and a whale welcome ceremony involving a fleet of 500boats.
The rituals will be followed by festivities to celebrate thecommunity’s well-being and prosperity last year. This will involveseveral folk performances like playing football on stilts, unicorndances, tying crabs and wrestling, with the highlight being aperformance of human chess.
La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the city’s Department of Culture,Sports and Tourism, said the district is hoping to turn the Nghing OngFestival into a major tourist event and develop local tourism byfocusing on sights, culture and history, he said.
“Can Gio has potential to develop a wide range of eco-tourism. We aimto develop the district into an ideal weekend destination for cityresidents,” he said.
A road connecting the city with the district, the first of its kind, would be completed this year, he said.
The districts lacks enough facilities or services to host a largenumber of international tourists but is likely to welcome around 3,000visitors every day.
The HCM City Youth&Children Outdoor Activities Centre at thedistrict’s Long Hoa Commune will offer an exploratory two-day tour ofthe Can Gio mangrove forest at a moderate 413,000 VND.
Can Gio District, situated around 50km to the southeast of downtown HCMCity, spreads over 70,421 ha. Well over half of it is occupied byforests, 22,850 ha by canals and rivers, and the most of the rest byaquaculture farmers, orchards and salt fields.
The mangrove forest here was recognised as Vietnam’s first biospherereserve by UNESCO in 2000, joining a global network of 368 others in 91nations./.
The manager of the district’s Department of Culture and Information,Nguyen Van Tot, said that the four-day festival would open at severalvenues at 8am in Can Thanh Town.
On the third day, a ceremonial offering will be made by village eldersin the traditional manner to show people’s gratitude to the whale andcommemorate those fishermen that had died at sea.
The offering, one of the highlights of the entire festival, willfeature a palanquin procession from Lang Ong Thuy Tuong, or the WhaleTomb, to the sea and a whale welcome ceremony involving a fleet of 500boats.
The rituals will be followed by festivities to celebrate thecommunity’s well-being and prosperity last year. This will involveseveral folk performances like playing football on stilts, unicorndances, tying crabs and wrestling, with the highlight being aperformance of human chess.
La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the city’s Department of Culture,Sports and Tourism, said the district is hoping to turn the Nghing OngFestival into a major tourist event and develop local tourism byfocusing on sights, culture and history, he said.
“Can Gio has potential to develop a wide range of eco-tourism. We aimto develop the district into an ideal weekend destination for cityresidents,” he said.
A road connecting the city with the district, the first of its kind, would be completed this year, he said.
The districts lacks enough facilities or services to host a largenumber of international tourists but is likely to welcome around 3,000visitors every day.
The HCM City Youth&Children Outdoor Activities Centre at thedistrict’s Long Hoa Commune will offer an exploratory two-day tour ofthe Can Gio mangrove forest at a moderate 413,000 VND.
Can Gio District, situated around 50km to the southeast of downtown HCMCity, spreads over 70,421 ha. Well over half of it is occupied byforests, 22,850 ha by canals and rivers, and the most of the rest byaquaculture farmers, orchards and salt fields.
The mangrove forest here was recognised as Vietnam’s first biospherereserve by UNESCO in 2000, joining a global network of 368 others in 91nations./.
