The procession of palanquins from communes, wards, and towns in the surrounding areas to the Hung Temple National Special Historical Relic Site. Photo: Ta Toan/TTXVN.

The Hung Kings worship belief, originating from ancestor worship, has become a unique form of religious and cultural belief in Vietnamese culture. It symbolizes the spirit of national unity and embodies the beautiful moral principle of "remembering the source when drinking water, remembering the planter when eating fruit." The Hung Kings Commemoration Day has become a national holiday, a common festival for the Vietnamese people, a day when millions of hearts beat as one, and all eyes look in the same direction.

In 2012, the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially recognized the Hung Kings worship belief as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This was the first Vietnamese heritage to be honored in the category of religious beliefs, and also the first time UNESCO recognized an ancestral worship belief as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This further affirms the cultural value of the nation and contributes to recognizing the importance of the ancestral worship rituals of the Vietnamese people in countries and territories around the world (where Vietnamese communities live).

For Vietnamese expatriates abroad, celebrating Hung Kings' Commemoration Day is not only a way to express the reverence and gratitude of descendants to their ancestors, but also contributes to preserving and educating future generations about cultural traditions. For them, Hung Kings' Commemoration Day is a way to affirm that Vietnamese people abroad are an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation, contributing to strengthening national unity.

On April 14, 2024, in Ottawa, Canada, the Vietnamese Embassy in Canada organized the Hung Kings Commemoration Ceremony, with the participation of a large number of Vietnamese people from many provinces and cities of Canada. In the photo: Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Vinh Quang respectfully offers incense before the altar of the Hung Kings. Photo: Trung Dung/PVTTXVN in Canada

Mr. Dang Trung Phuoc, President of the Canada-Vietnam Association, shared with a VNA reporter in Ottawa that this is an opportunity for Vietnamese people living abroad to gather at the "Vietnam House" in Ottawa and together turn their thoughts towards their homeland and remember the contributions of the Hung Kings. It is during such gatherings and participation in the Hung Kings' Commemoration ceremony that Vietnamese people overseas increasingly understand the sacred meaning of the word "compatriots."

At the Hung Kings Commemoration Ceremony held on April 13th in Kuala Lumpur, Ms. Tran Thi Chang, President of the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association, emphasized that organizing the ceremony reflects the sacred sentiment deeply ingrained in the hearts of every Vietnamese person, helping the community understand more about the value of the Hung Kings worship tradition, strengthening unity, and passing on the torch to the younger generation to look towards their homeland and country.

Speaking with a VNA reporter, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien, the head of the Vietnamese language class in Malaysia, emotionally expressed that the Hung Kings Commemoration Day is an "invisible cultural thread" connecting all Vietnamese people around the world towards their national roots, connecting compatriots at home and abroad.

To preserve and widely promote the "Hung King worshiping belief" abroad, the "Global Vietnamese National Ancestor Day" project has been implemented since 2015. According to Tran Phu Thuan, Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese People in the Russian Federation, "Global Vietnamese National Ancestor Day" is truly a project with immense humanitarian value, with the mission of uniting the nation, positioning Vietnamese values ​​globally, and working with international friends to preserve the representative intangible cultural values ​​of humanity.

For the second and third generations, family traditions and stories heard from parents in Vietnamese are the most practical way for children to connect with their ancestral culture. Dao Van Anh, 19, a Vietnamese born and raised in Russia, heard the legend of King Hung from her father, and although she has never lived in Vietnam, she truly felt the significance of Hung King Commemoration Day, feeling like a member of the large family of nearly 100 million Vietnamese people.

For the Vietnamese community abroad, the "Global Vietnamese National Ancestor Day" project is also an opportunity to contribute to strengthening understanding, sharing, and cultural exchange among Vietnamese communities in the process of integrating with the people of their host countries.

Speaking with a Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reporter in Prague, Mr. Nguyen Duy Nhien, President of the Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic, said that the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic is increasingly developing and integrating deeply into the local society. Along with this, members of the community always look towards their homeland, upholding the precious traditions of the nation in their "second homeland." The President of the Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic believes that the beautiful image of the Vietnamese community in this Eastern European country will surely warm the hearts of their ancestors.

Through the organization of the Hung Kings Commemoration Day, the Vietnamese community abroad, especially the second and third generations of overseas Vietnamese, gain a deeper understanding of the value of the Hung Kings worship tradition, strengthen unity, and foster a sense of connection to their homeland. This, in turn, cultivates national spirit, helps overcome challenges, and affirms the position of the Vietnamese people.

During the "Returning to Our Roots" cultural festival organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in the US, Que Anh and Thanh Thao, two Vietnamese students living in the DMV (Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia), proudly shared with a VNA reporter in Washington about their participation in the festival's cultural performances.

Vietnamese expatriates attending the "Returning to Our Roots" event all shared the hope that the Vietnamese Embassy would organize more meaningful activities like this and expand their scale to promote the beauty of Vietnamese culture to a wider audience of expatriates and American friends who love Vietnam.

It can be seen that the annual commemoration of Hung Kings' Ancestral Anniversary, especially abroad, serves as a connecting thread between generations of Vietnamese people, conveying the distinctive cultural and spiritual aspects of the Hung Kings' worship tradition, creating a strong appeal, especially to the younger generation. From there, it awakens national pride and self-respect, highlighting the importance of patriotism and gratitude for the nation's founding.

Attending the Hung Kings Commemoration Ceremony and honoring the descendants of King Hung held in Saint Petersburg on April 13th, Professor Vladimir Kolotov, leader of the Ho Chi Minh Institute at Saint Petersburg State University, reminded a Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reporter in Russia of President Ho Chi Minh's saying: "The Hung Kings had the merit of founding the nation, we, their descendants, must together preserve it," affirming that this saying is the source of national unity, becoming a powerful internal force that helped Vietnam gain independence, build the country, integrate internationally, and make responsible contributions to the global community.

According to baotintuc.vn