Find out about the Han Festival

When the rows of white flowers bloom in their pure colors, it is also the time when Muong So people eagerly attend the Nang Han festival. Nang Han Temple is located in Tay An village, Muong So commune, Phong Tho district, Lai Chau province. Over time, this relic has become a spiritual and cultural destination, annually attracting a large number of people and tourists from all over the country to attend the festival, worship and pray for luck.

LEGEND OF THE HEROIC FEMALE GENERAL

Legend has it that Han was born into a poor Thai family in Chieng Sa (now Muong So commune, Phong Tho district). As a child, she was good at swordsmanship and horse riding. That year, the northern invaders were rampant, and everywhere in the world, people were in misery. Not willing to endure the exile of the invaders, Han disguised herself as a man and stood up to call on young men from all the villages to unite and fight the invaders.

After leading the victorious army back to the village, she took off her clothes to bathe, then a five-colored cloud descended and took her to heaven. From then on, the people built a temple to worship her and on the full moon of February every year, they held a festival to commemorate her merits. From then on, a custom of taking water to wash their hair and face to pray for good luck was formed here; people told each other that if they used water from the spring where Han bathed, their daughters would be beautiful and virtuous, and their sons would be resourceful and strong.

In 2007, the Nang Han Temple was recognized by the Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee as a provincial-level architectural and artistic relic. And recently, on February 19, 2025, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 326/QD-BVHTTDL to include the Nang Han Festival in Muong So Commune, Phong Tho District in the list of national intangible cultural heritage.

People's Artist Nong Van Nao, who has presided over the Nang Han festival for many years, said: The festival is not only an occasion for people to come and worship, but also a place for tourists to exchange and participate in traditional cultural activities; contributing to building the spiritual life of the people, building the great national unity bloc.

CHANGES IN THE LAND OF MANY MONUMENTS AND FESTIVALS

At the Nang Han festival, in a conversation with the village elders, it was learned that Muong So commune has 1,715 households with seven ethnic groups, of which the Thai ethnic group accounts for more than 70%. Muong So is the place with the most national historical relics in Lai Chau province (Nang Han temple, Tham Tao cave, Na Cung resistance cave, Muong So fort, Nam Tun cave archaeological site).

Implementing Resolution 04 of the Provincial Party Committee on preserving and promoting the traditional cultural identity of ethnic groups associated with tourism development in the province for the period 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030. Currently, Muong So has nine performing arts teams maintained. In the evening, at the cultural houses of the villages, the artisans are still diligently teaching and correcting each movement and song for the next generations. Ms. Lo Thi Doi, Vang Pheo village said: For more than a month now, to prepare for the Nang Han festival, every evening, everyone gathers at the village cultural house to watch dances, all members of the performing arts teams are enthusiastically practicing to prepare for the Nang Han festival.

Along with the festival atmosphere is the story of economic development, many typical movements such as "Farmers compete in good production, unite to help each other get rich and reduce poverty sustainably" launched by the Commune Farmers' Association; the movement "Young volunteers for community life" of the Commune Youth Union. Currently, Muong So is implementing vegetable cultivation according to the chain; many models of livestock development in the direction of farms and family farms bring high economic efficiency. Typically, Mr. Lo Van Chin's household in Huoi En village with the vegetable and fruit model, after deducting expenses, this model brings the family an income of nearly 100 million VND/year; or Mr. To Van Huu's family is successful from the buffalo breeding model with a total herd of buffaloes at times reaching more than 50 buffaloes, earning nearly 200 million VND/year for the family. Currently, the average income per capita of the commune reaches more than 50 million VND/person/year, the annual poverty rate decreases from 5 to 7%...

Chairman of Muong So Commune People's Committee Dang Xuan Thanh shared: Muong So has been exploiting its historical and cultural values ​​well. This is an advantage that opens up many development directions for the locality, including developing spiritual tourism and sustainable community tourism.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tim-ve-le-hoi-nang-han-post869409.html