Bustling Bang Ca Village Festival in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh

Bang Ca village festival is a traditional festival with the strong identity of the Dao Thanh Y people in Bang Ca commune, Ha Long city, Quang Ninh.

Quảng Ninh: Độc đáo lễ cấp sắc ở Bằng Cả

People dance at Bang Ca Village Festival, Ha Long City, Quang Ninh. (Source: Ha Long City Propaganda Department)

Recently, the Bang Ca Village Festival 2025 took place at the Thanh Y Dao Cultural Conservation Area, Bang Ca Commune, Ha Long City.

Bang Ca is a mountainous commune, located in the West of Ha Long City. The natural area is 3,208.35 hectares. The administrative boundaries of the commune are divided into 3 villages, with a population of 512 households, with 1,876 people. The commune has 5 ethnic groups living together, of which ethnic minorities account for over 97% (Dao Thanh Y accounts for 92%), the rest are ethnic groups: Kinh, Hoa, Tay and San Diu.

Bang Ca village festival is a traditional festival imbued with the identity of the Dao Thanh Y people, with the meaning of praying for favorable weather, prosperous business, good crops, and happy people.

Traditional costume embroidery activities at Bang Ca Village Festival. (Source: Ha Long City Propaganda Department)

The village festival is held regularly on 5 days a year (including: February 1st, April 1st, July 1st, October 1st and December 20th every year), of which February 1st (lunar calendar) is the main festival of the new year.

Bang Ca Village Festival 2025 takes place on February 28 and March 1 (ie February 1-2 of the lunar calendar) in conjunction with the announcement ceremony of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage: The Dao Thanh Y's Coming of Age Ceremony, the Tay's New Rice Celebration Ceremony and the ceremony to receive the certificate recognizing Bang Ca commune as meeting advanced new rural standards.

Bang Ca Commune was recognized as meeting the advanced New Rural standards. (Source: Propaganda Department of Ha Long City)

Coming to Bang Ca village festival, people and tourists can immerse themselves in a joyful and bustling cultural space imbued with local identity. In addition to sports and folk games such as football, tug of war, stick pushing, crossbow shooting, bamboo dancing, throwing balls, walking on stilts, cultural exchanges, campfires, etc., visitors can also experience wrapping humpbacked Chung cakes, pounding Day cakes, trying on traditional costumes of the Thanh Y Dao people, visiting stalls and enjoying local products.

People learn how to wrap humpbacked Chung cake at Bang Ca Village Festival. (Source: Ha Long City Propaganda Department)

2025 is the first year that Bang Ca Village Festival is organized at the city level according to the approved Ha Long - Festival City Project, aiming to preserve and promote traditional cultural values, while contributing to promoting the cultural image of the Dao Thanh Y people in Bang Ca commune in particular and the ethnic people of Quang Ninh province in general, making Bang Ca an attractive tourist destination of Ha Long city.

Some pictures of Bang Ca Village Festival in 2025: