The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has recently included 26 traditional festivals, practices, representations, and knowledge in the catalog of national intangible cultural heritage.
In this list, Hanoi has the most entries, with five elements. These include the Ao Dai tailoring craft of Trach Xa Village, Hoa Xa Commune, Ung Hoa District; the traditional festival of Keo Village, Gia Lam District; the Tuong Phieu Temple Festival of Phuc Tho District; the traditional festival, social practice, and folk belief of dragons of Ba Duong Noi Village, Dan Phuong Rural District, Hanoi; and the Thay Pagoda Traditional Festival of Quoc Oai District.
Trach Xa Village, located in Ung Hoa District, around 60 kilometers from downtown Hanoi, has been renowned for its specialization in traditional Vietnamese women’s Ao Dai making for hundreds of years.
Legend has it that the founder of this craft is Nguyen Thi Sen, who started honing her sewing skills when she was very young. She later served the royal family during the Dinh Dynasty from 968 to 980. Afterward, she returned to her hometown of Trach Xa and imparted her embroidery techniques and the art of creating intricate garments, such as dresses and ceremonial clothing for kings and queens, to the villagers.
Throughout history, the Trach Xa Ao Dai tailors have traveled far and wide. They carried their measurement tools, needles, threads, and scissors across the country and even abroad. Despite their ventures, the Trach Xa Ao Dai tailors always hold their hometown close to their hearts. In any city, their shops bear the name “Trach,” such as Phuc Trach, Vinh Trach, and My Trach in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.
The Keo Village Festival is another heritage element regularly celebrated on the sixth day of the fourth month of the Lunar New Year. This festival honors the tutelary god of Keo Village, General Dao Phuc, and Lady Phap Van, also known as Mrs. Keo.
To this day, the Keo Community House preserves numerous ordinances and couplets that commemorate General Dao Phuc’s contributions in suppressing invaders and safeguarding the country. One of them is the consecration document issued by King Khai Dinh (1885-1925) on July 25, 1924.
Tuong Phieu Communal House, located in Phuc Tho District, approximately 30 kilometers from central Hanoi, is one of the oldest temples in northern Vietnam. Constructed in 1430, this house venerates King Dinh Tien Hoang’s son-in-law and the tutelary god of Tuong Phieu village, Saint Tan Vien. Saint Tan Vien is one of the four immortals in Vietnamese folk beliefs. The Tuong Phieu Communal House houses valuable relics, including three palanquins, three 18th-century thrones, an altar, and royal documents conferring titles.
The Tuong Phieu Communal House hosts four annual festivals. The largest one is celebrated from the 14th to the 16th day of the first lunar month and commemorates Saint Tan Vien’s birthday.
The Ba Duong Noi village, located on the outskirts of Hanoi’s Dan Phuong district, holds an annual kite flying festival on the fifteenth day of the third lunar month. This festival is the largest of its kind in northern Vietnam. The kites are shaped like crescent moons or boats and are attached to wooden flutes that produce enchanting melodies when the wind passes through.
According to ancient beliefs, the kite symbolizes yin and yang, connecting heaven and earth. The sound of the flutes dispels miasma and epidemics. They also bring good luck, as Duong Noi villagers believe that the higher their kites soar, the more abundant the harvest will be.
Thay Pagoda, located on the awe-inspiring Mt. Sai in Sai Son Commune, Quoc Oai District, about 20 kilometers from downtown Hanoi, is considered one of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam. Each year, from the fifth to the seventh day of the third lunar month (from April 24 to 26), the vibrant Thay Pagoda Festival takes place to honor Tu Dao Hanh, a revered Vietnamese Buddhist monk who lived from 1010 to 1225.
The Thay Pagoda Festival comprises two parts: ceremonies and folk performances. These festivities showcase a variety of ancient worship rituals that have been passed down through generations. The Moc Duc or “statue bath,” in which fragrant water boiled from five kinds of leaves is used, is the most significant ritual carried out by respected elders in the area. Furthermore, the festival’s palanquin procession attracts numerous residents from the four hamlets of Da Phuc, Thuy Khue, Sai Khe, and Khanh Tan in the Sai Son commune.
Other newly recognized elements of national intangible heritage include the rice paper craft of Tuy Loan village, Hoa Phong commune, Hoa Vang district in the central coastal city of Danang; the Xtieng ethnic brocade weaving craft in the southern province of Binh Phuoc; and the palm sugar craft of the Khmer ethnic minority in Tri Ton district and Tinh Bien town, An Giang province, among others.
