Vietnam has thousands of years of history with diverse cultural characteristics. Among cultural treasures of Vietnam, festival is a very unique one. Festivals take place all over the country in 4 seasons. However, spring is still the season of most festivals. If you are searching for a must-visit festival, you can choose one from the list of most wonderful festivals in Vietnam below.
Perfume Pagoda Festival (from 6th January to the end of March Lunar Calendar)
Being the biggest and longest festival in Vietnam, Perfume Pagoda Festival is the most anticipated event when spring comes. It is the greatest Buddhist festival in Vietnam and plays a very important role in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people.
Perfume Pagoda belongs to Huong Son Commune, My Duc District, Hanoi. From the city center, you can easily take a ride by motorbike, private car or taxi to reach the destination. If you travel on a budget, take a bus number 103 at My Dinh bus station from 05:00 to 20:00 to get to Perfume Pagoda. The price for a person is only $0.5/one-way ticket.
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When coming to Huong Pagoda in the time of festival, tourists can join many exciting traditional activities such as sailing, climbing, listening to Vietnamese popular opera (an original synthesis of folk songs, dances and narration), etc.
This is a spiritual place. So, remember to dress formally when visit Huong Pagoda in particular and other pagodas as well as temples in general. One day is enough for the trip.
Elephant Race Festival (around 3rd lunar month)
The traditional elephant race festival of M’nong people in Buon Me Thuot is held every 2 years in 3rd month of lunar calendar. This is one of the most wonderful months in the central highlands. This festival is to honor the martial spirit and the elephant training art of local people. Although it is not as famous as the Gong festival to foreign tourists, it is definitely worth a visit.
Elephant race festival takes place in a vacant, fairly flat area with few trees near the Sevepoi River. 5 to 10 elephants will stand in a line. They join a run of 1 – 2 km at the same time.
With the signal of the horn (a wind instrument), the mahouts command their elephants to go to the starting line. When the race starts, all of the elephant rush ahead, excited by the sound of the drums, gongs, and cheering from the viewers. At the end of the race, the winning elephants lift their trunks above their heads to wave to the viewers. They walk deliberately flapping their ears gently, gazing through half-closed eyes to receive sugarcane from their viewers.
Pig Procession Festival in La Phu village (on 13th of 1st lunar month)
When it comes to most special festival in Vietnam, the pig procession festival in La Phu must be included. The Pig Procession began as a form of entertaining the army of the Great Holy Tam Lang, a Minister of the 18th Hung King. Then, La Phu villagers worship him as the tutelary god of the village.
The pigs that are sacrificed are chosen carefully from the previous year. It is raised by most skillful cattlemen in the village. From the early morning of the festival day, sacrificed pigs are brought to host families in each hamlet to be butchered. All the processes finish at around 3 p.m.
By 6 p.m, the locals and tourists flock to the main road to see pigs (each weight about 200 to 250kg) being carried on a golden palanquin in the procession to the communal house. You can also see many traditional performances leading the way on the road as well as at the ground of communal house.
Pigs are on the way to the communal house. There is no doubt that pig procession festival is one of the most special festivals in Vietnam. If you visit Hanoi on 13th of the first lunar month every year, do not miss a chance to experience this wonderful festival.
