Hung King's Commemoration Day 2025: Returning to the Call of the Roots

The sacrificial team of Chu Hoa commune (Viet Tri city) performs a traditional sacrificial ceremony at the temple of the national ancestor Lac Long Quan, April 3, 2025. Photo: Ta Toan/VNA

This is an opportunity for every Vietnamese person, "descendant of Lac Hong", to remember and be grateful for the contributions of the Hung Kings who opened mountains, broke rocks, expanded, and built the Van Lang State - the first State in Vietnamese history.

Hung King's Commemoration Day is not only a traditional holiday but also a symbol of patriotism, a unique and profound cultural and spiritual value, demonstrating the spirit of great solidarity, the good traditional morality of "When drinking water, remember its source" as well as the spirit of respecting the origin of the Vietnamese people.

Towards the national origin

The Hung Kings' death anniversary always holds a special place in the minds of Vietnamese people. For many people, going to Hung Temple is a desire, a longing and a pilgrimage back to the roots of the nation.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang (in Phu Ninh district, Phu Tho province) said that every time the Hung Kings' death anniversary comes, her family comes to offer incense at Hung Temple during the day. This year, her family decided to join the Hung Temple night tour to fully enjoy the sacred and peaceful atmosphere of this sacred land.

Ms. Hoang Thi Xuan, a tourist from Hanoi, shared: "I have been to Hung Temple several times, but this was the most interesting time because I got to make a pilgrimage to the Upper Temple in the evening to pay homage to the Hung Kings. That helped me fully feel the sacred space of the relic and the meaning of the Hung King Worship Belief when the whole country turned to its roots."

Sharing the same excitement, Mr. Nguyen Huy Thang (overseas Vietnamese in the Federal Republic of Germany) expressed that the pilgrimage to the source is an opportunity to immerse oneself in the country's cultural identity,educating the traditions for future generations, so that even if they travel to the four corners of the world, they will know where their ancestors and roots are to return to.

According to Vice Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Nguyen Manh Dong, Hung King's Commemoration Day is one of Vietnam's national holidays, reflecting the tradition of "When drinking water, remember its source" of our nation. Hung King's Commemoration Day always receives great attention from the overseas Vietnamese community. Every year, representative agencies and Vietnamese associations around the world organize activities to celebrate this great national holiday.

The Global Vietnam Ancestor Day - Ancestor Commemoration and Honoring the Descendants of King Hung in 2025 is scheduled to be held on April 7 (March 10 of the lunar calendar) in both in-person and online formats. The project was initiated in 2015, on an international scale, and was founded by a number of overseas Vietnamese.

Over the past 10 years, the Project has coordinated with associations, overseas Vietnamese, agencies, departments and sectors of Vietnam, local governments and international friends to organize the Hung King statue installation ceremony in more than 10 countries and territories around the world. The Global Vietnam National Day is a cultural event of special significance, not only for the Vietnamese community living, studying, researching and working abroad but also to promote the peaceful and friendly relationship between Vietnam and international friends...

Since the previous days, not only in the country but also in many countries around the world, the Vietnamese community abroad has also built temples to worship the Hung Kings or places of worship with altars, tablets and statues of the Hung Kings for overseas Vietnamese to offer incense and remember their origins and ancestors. The worship of the Hung Kings has been deeply rooted and spread widely, wherever there are Vietnamese people living, there is the belief of ancestor worship - worship of the Hung Kings.

Cultural activities associated with tourism development

Currently, Phu Tho has 345 Hung King worshiping relics, of which the Hung Temple historical relic site with more than 800 hectares is planned to become the largest spiritual cultural park in the country. This place is also the center of the largest Hung King worshiping belief in the country with solemn and respectful ceremonies and festivals. Compared to last year, the scale of the Hung King Commemoration Day event in 2025 is larger and Phu Tho is expected to welcome about 4 million visitors.

According to Vice Chairman of Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Huy Ngoc, Hung Kings' Commemoration Day is also a "golden opportunity" to promote and attract visitors from all over the country to the land of the ancestors. This year's Hung Kings' Commemoration Day and Culture - Tourism Week of the land of the ancestors have many unique activities, carrying the spirit of the Hung Kings' era and inherited and continued from the quintessence of contemporary society.

The ceremony will be held solemnly, respectfully and respectfully according to the national cultural tradition. The festival will include many cultural, sports and tourism activities to create a joyful and healthy atmosphere, imbued with the original cultural identity.

Highlights include: Art program to open the Cultural - Tourism Week of the Ancestral Land 2025; Ancestral Land Book Fair; Special exhibition introducing documents and artifacts from the Hung King period; Banh Chung and Banh Giay wrapping and cooking contest; Xoan singing performance in ancient villages... along with many cultural, artistic and sports activities to serve the people and tourists.

Mr. Nguyen Dac Thuy, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Phu Tho province, emphasized that the Organizing Committee ensures that the festival is organized thoughtfully and safely, creating a wide spread and satisfaction for compatriots and tourists from all over.

A highlight of the festival is the performance of “Hat Xoan Lang Co” to serve tourists from all over the country during the Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day - Hung Temple Festival 2025. Mr. Nguyen Dac Thuy shared that since 2013, the Department has built the program “Hat Xoan Lang Co” associated with tours and tourist routes to serve groups of tourists attending the Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day - Hung Temple Festival every year. After more than 10 years of implementation, up to now, “Hat Xoan Lang Co” has become a unique spiritual dish, attracting domestic and foreign tourists every time they come to Phu Tho.

Ms. Bui Thi Hang, a member of Phu Duc Xoan guild, Kim Duc commune, shared that in order to prepare for the ancient village Xoan singing program on the occasion of this year's Ancestor's Anniversary, the sisters in the Xoan guild have been trying to practice even in the evenings, in their free time, with the desire to bring many unique and attractive performances, contributing to promoting the image and people of the friendly and hospitable land of the ancestors...

The organization of Xoan singing program on the occasion of Hung King's death anniversary - Hung Temple Festival every year aims to preserve, conserve, promote as well as introduce and promote the heritage of Xoan singing and Hung King worship in Phu Tho.

The Hung Kings' Commemoration Anniversary and the Cultural - Tourism Week of the Ancestral Land in the year of At Ty will take place for 10 days, from March 29 to April 7 (ie from March 1 to 10, At Ty year 2025) with about 30 contents at the Hung Temple Historical Relic Site.

Festival programs contribute to spreading national pride, raising people's awareness of the responsibility to preserve and promote the tradition of building and defending the country; enhancing a deeper understanding of the rich culture and history of the homeland, thereby arousing patriotism, solidarity and awareness of heritage conservation in every Vietnamese citizen.

Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/19/171081/gio-to-hung-vuong-nam-2025-tro-ve-voi-tieng-goi-coi-nguon