Hai Phong preserves Hung Kings worship tradition
The worship of the Hung Kings has long been deeply rooted in communities across Hai Phong, reflecting Vietnam’s enduring tradition of honoring ancestors and remembering the roots.
A lasting tradition
Each year on the Hung Kings Commemoration Day, the family of Le Van Tan in An Phu commune gathers with children and grandchildren to prepare offerings in tribute to the Hung Kings.
“Although we do not live in the ancestral land, the Hung Kings are honored by all Vietnamese as the common ancestors of the nation,” Tan said.
Like Tan’s family, many households and family clans across Hai Phong have preserved the tradition passed down through generations.
During the annual holiday, residents across the port city pay tribute to the Hung Kings with deep respect and gratitude for their role in founding the nation.
Beyond its historical and spiritual significance, the commemoration reflects patriotism, national unity and the Vietnam’s cultural and moral values.
It has also become a festival for local communities, featuring traditional cultural and artistic performances, along with folk activities.
In Bach Dang Ward, the Hung Kings Commemoration has for many years been held on the ninth and tenth days of the third lunar month at King Cave.
As part of the festival, the cave is opened to residents and visitors to offer incense in memory of the Hung Kings, while local cultural performances are staged among villages.
The event helps strengthen community bonds while educating younger generations about the nation’s history, fostering gratitude and national pride.
On the 10th day of the third lunar month, many communes and wards across Hai Phong with temples dedicated to generals from the Hung Kings era also hold festivals in tribute to the nation’s roots.
Local residents, as well as those living away from home, return to their hometowns to honor their ancestors, join community celebrations and witness the prosperity of their hometowns.
A living heritage
According to the Hai Phong Museum, eastern Hai Phong is home to 16 nationally designated sites and 41 city-level sites linked to Hung Kings worship.
The tradition, which spread from Phu Tho to the rest of the country, continues to bind communities nationwide to the ancestral land.
Western Hai Phong is home to around 100 communal houses, temples, pagodas and shrines dedicated wholly or partly to figures from the Hung Kings era.
While differing in scale, architecture and historical background, these sites all hold significant historical, cultural and spiritual value.
Each preserves distinctive worship practices rooted in traditional Vietnamese culture and maintained across generations.
Local authorities continue to manage and preserve these sites, ensuring regular rituals on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, as well as during major annual festivals.
The worship of the Hung Kings, preserved at sites across Hai Phong, has helped shape a rich system of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
These values continue to be safeguarded, passed on and promoted across generations, serving as an important spiritual foundation for national development.
Hai Phong News