The palanquin was carried by village elders, young men and women in traditional costumes from communal houses to the Hung Kings Temple complex. The procession, a ritual that has been maintained for thousands of years by local people, took place alongside lion dances, and noisy drum and gong beating. 

The palanquin procession, part of the Hung Kings Temple Festival, is one of the country’s largest annual cultural events held to commemorate the birth of Hung Kings believed to be the Vietnamese nation’s founders. It began on April 9 this year and is scheduled to last through to April 18.

The procession is a community activity which is held annually in the northern province of Phu Tho on the seventh day of the third lunar month. It aims to express gratitude to the kings and raise public awareness about the nation’s special history.