Attending the event were Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Council, Most Venerable Thich Thanh Nhieu, leading officials of ministries and sectors, and crowds of Buddhist dignitaries, followers and locals.
This year’s festival aims to mark the 685th death anniversary of monk Huyen Quang (1254-1334), the third progenitor of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, and popularise the values of the relic site.
Covering a total area of eight hectares in Chi Linh district, the Con Son-Kiep Bac historical site is entwined with the life and cause of general Tran Hung Dao, the Supreme Commander of Vietnam during the Tran Dynasty, and it was where UNESCO’s Great Man of Culture of the World, Nguyen Trai (1380-1442), one of Vietnam’s most famous poets and writers, lived.
The site was a defensive line built at the end of the 14th century to protect the Thang Long Imperial Citadel. It witnessed important battles between the Tran Dynasty army and the Yuan-Mongol invaders in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Con Son-Kiep Bac was recognised as a national heritage site in 1962 and a special national heritage site in 2012. The following year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism named the Spring Festival as a national intangible cultural heritage.
