A national-level commemoration of thefirst rulers of Vietnam – the Hung Kings – will be organised during tendays this month in the northern province of Phu Tho and two days inother provinces and cities throughout the country.
According to the guidance of the Prime Minister, an opening festivalceremony for the Hung Temple will be held at Nghia Linh Mountainon April 14. The ceremony, entitled Original Holy Land, will beorganised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The ceremony will be broadcast live on Vietnam television's VTV1channel.
Around 1,000 artists will perform at the show including artists fromtheatres throughout the country, the Vietnam Circus Federation and theVietnam Dance School .
On April 23, President Nguyen Minh Triet and other central and localleaders will join a worshipping ceremony at the site.
There will be various cultural activities like photography and bookexhibitions, a swimming competition on the Lo River and other sportstournaments, firework show, and a Banh Chung (glutinous-rice squarecake) and Banh Day (glutinous-rice round cake) making competition.
The Hung Vuong Museum, which has been built over 15,000sq.m, will alsobe inaugurated at the event with an exhibition of objects dating backto the era of the Hung Kings (approximately between 2897 BC and 1550BC), the Ly dynasty (1009-1225) and the Tran dynasty (1225-1400) whilethe Culture and Sports Festival of north-eastern ethnic groups will beheld in the locality.
According to Nguyen Doan Khanh, chairman of Phu Tho Province'sPeople's Committee, the local authorities have made preparations for agreat festival.
Following the Hung Temple's recognition as a special national historicsite at the end of last year, work on upgrading the site to serve theevent this year was undertaken, he said.
The province has also spared 30 billion VND (1.6 million USD) fororganising the festival this year.
He also estimated around 500,000 people would visit the temple siteper day during the festival. The same event last year attracted 4million people in total.
"I believe that Phu Tho will soon catch up with other neighbouringprovinces through tourism to the Hung Kings cultural site, Xuan Sonforest and the Thanh Thuy ecological site," he added.
A dossier had been sent to UNESCO for its recognition of local HatXoan (ancestors' worshipping songs) as a cultural intangible heritage inthe need of urgent protection.
Hat Xoan is believed to have originated 500 years ago. It is popularin the villages of An Thai, Phu Duc, Kim Doi and Thet along the Lo Riverin Phu Tho. It is also popular in other localities in the midlands andnorthern regions.
Hat Xoan has some similarities with the lullaby. Like Quan Ho (loveduet singing), many of the songs in Hat Xoan are about love, but itoriginally was a form of worshipping, offering praise to village genies.
According to legend, the Vietnamese nation, named Van Lang, wasfounded by Emperor Hung Vuong about 40 centuries ago. The 18-kingdynasty led Vietnam to development and progress in peace.
To honour the founding fathers, the Hung Vuong holy site was built in250BC in Phu Tho, and has since become one of the most popular sites inthe country. The annual Hung Kings anniversary is held on the 10th dayof the third lunar month. This cultural practice has only been neglectedduring periods of foreign domination and wars.
The Hung Kings also promoted diplomatic ties with ancient China inan effort to better ensure the independence of Van Lang.
The Hung Kings' outstanding achievements resulted not only in thefounding of Vietnam of yore as a nation but also in the establishment ofwell-defined institutions, administrative, social and economic whichmade up a civilisation of the Vietnamese people.
Many people believe that the origin of Hung Kings largely remains theproduct of Vietnamese legend. However, vestiges of the dynasty such asthe Hung Kings' Temple in Phu Tho, the agricultural implements made ofstone discovered in northern localities of Son Tay, Vinh Yen, Bac Giangand what was recorded in the Chinese Annals of the Bach Viet (100principality) Kingdom, South China are evidence to the fact that theVietnamese of the prehistoric age did inaugurate a monarchical dynastywhich started from the rule of the 18 Hung Kings./.
According to the guidance of the Prime Minister, an opening festivalceremony for the Hung Temple will be held at Nghia Linh Mountainon April 14. The ceremony, entitled Original Holy Land, will beorganised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The ceremony will be broadcast live on Vietnam television's VTV1channel.
Around 1,000 artists will perform at the show including artists fromtheatres throughout the country, the Vietnam Circus Federation and theVietnam Dance School .
On April 23, President Nguyen Minh Triet and other central and localleaders will join a worshipping ceremony at the site.
There will be various cultural activities like photography and bookexhibitions, a swimming competition on the Lo River and other sportstournaments, firework show, and a Banh Chung (glutinous-rice squarecake) and Banh Day (glutinous-rice round cake) making competition.
The Hung Vuong Museum, which has been built over 15,000sq.m, will alsobe inaugurated at the event with an exhibition of objects dating backto the era of the Hung Kings (approximately between 2897 BC and 1550BC), the Ly dynasty (1009-1225) and the Tran dynasty (1225-1400) whilethe Culture and Sports Festival of north-eastern ethnic groups will beheld in the locality.
According to Nguyen Doan Khanh, chairman of Phu Tho Province'sPeople's Committee, the local authorities have made preparations for agreat festival.
Following the Hung Temple's recognition as a special national historicsite at the end of last year, work on upgrading the site to serve theevent this year was undertaken, he said.
The province has also spared 30 billion VND (1.6 million USD) fororganising the festival this year.
He also estimated around 500,000 people would visit the temple siteper day during the festival. The same event last year attracted 4million people in total.
"I believe that Phu Tho will soon catch up with other neighbouringprovinces through tourism to the Hung Kings cultural site, Xuan Sonforest and the Thanh Thuy ecological site," he added.
A dossier had been sent to UNESCO for its recognition of local HatXoan (ancestors' worshipping songs) as a cultural intangible heritage inthe need of urgent protection.
Hat Xoan is believed to have originated 500 years ago. It is popularin the villages of An Thai, Phu Duc, Kim Doi and Thet along the Lo Riverin Phu Tho. It is also popular in other localities in the midlands andnorthern regions.
Hat Xoan has some similarities with the lullaby. Like Quan Ho (loveduet singing), many of the songs in Hat Xoan are about love, but itoriginally was a form of worshipping, offering praise to village genies.
According to legend, the Vietnamese nation, named Van Lang, wasfounded by Emperor Hung Vuong about 40 centuries ago. The 18-kingdynasty led Vietnam to development and progress in peace.
To honour the founding fathers, the Hung Vuong holy site was built in250BC in Phu Tho, and has since become one of the most popular sites inthe country. The annual Hung Kings anniversary is held on the 10th dayof the third lunar month. This cultural practice has only been neglectedduring periods of foreign domination and wars.
The Hung Kings also promoted diplomatic ties with ancient China inan effort to better ensure the independence of Van Lang.
The Hung Kings' outstanding achievements resulted not only in thefounding of Vietnam of yore as a nation but also in the establishment ofwell-defined institutions, administrative, social and economic whichmade up a civilisation of the Vietnamese people.
Many people believe that the origin of Hung Kings largely remains theproduct of Vietnamese legend. However, vestiges of the dynasty such asthe Hung Kings' Temple in Phu Tho, the agricultural implements made ofstone discovered in northern localities of Son Tay, Vinh Yen, Bac Giangand what was recorded in the Chinese Annals of the Bach Viet (100principality) Kingdom, South China are evidence to the fact that theVietnamese of the prehistoric age did inaugurate a monarchical dynastywhich started from the rule of the 18 Hung Kings./.
