Co Loa Citadel represents the thousand-year history of the nation. This annual event is held to pay tribute to King An Duong Vuong, founder of the ancient Vietnamese kingdom of Au Lac, who led the fight against foreign enemies and ruled the country for 50 years in the 3rd century BC. The colorful festival of Co Loa Temple will take place until February 6. Photo: VNA At the opening of the festival, Dong Anh District People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Xuan Linh recalled that more than 2,300 years ago, after leading the resistance war against more than 50,000 Qin soldiers, King An Duong Vuong established the capital of the Au Lac Kingdom in Co Loa. “This is one of the extremely valuable historical sites with unique architecture and also an important archaeological site of the country,” he said. "The Co Loa citadel has become a symbol of the proud ancient Vietnamese civilization," he added. Being considered one of the oldest festivals in Vietnam, Co Loa … [Read more...] about Co Loa Temple Festival opens
Representative list of intangible cultural heritage
Neu pole wards off evil spirits, welcomes blessings
Vietnamese people erect a Neu tree in front of their house to show off their land holdings and mark the border of their house. The bamboo pole was stripped of its leaves, except for a tuft at the top. The decoration on the Neu trees varies between regions and periods. On the top of the bamboo tree, they often hang a snatch of pineapple leaves, chicken feathers and a circle of New Year cards made of bamboo and do (poonah) paper. According to cultural researchers, the circle of bamboo cards symbolizes happiness and chicken feathers represent holy birds with powers that can help the family. The pole is also believed to ward off ghosts and demons from entering the community during Tet. It also seeks to show the way to ancestors who want to return home for the lunar New Year holiday. As legend goes, the Tet pole erecting tradition is originated from the Buddhism. Legend has it that long time ago, devils occupied the land of humans. Seeing humans’ suffering, the Buddha helped them … [Read more...] about Neu pole wards off evil spirits, welcomes blessings
Hoi An, HCM City among world’s top 25 trending destinations in 2023: TripAdvisor
Germany’s famous travel site reisereporter.de has run an article highlighting the world’s top 25 trending destinations for 2023, including Vietnam’s Hoi An ancient city and Ho Chi Minh City, recently voted by readers of TripAdvisor – the world's largest travel guidance platform. Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam occupies the second place, following Cuba (Photo: Screenshot) Specifically, Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam occupied the second place on the list as part of the annual Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Awards, following Cuba, while the southern metropolis secured 11th place. The category reveals destinations with the greatest year-over-year growth in interest on Tripadvisor based on travelers' reviews over a 12-month period between November 1 and October 31. "Hoi An on the central Vietnamese coast is a well-preserved example of the important Southeast Asian trading port it was from the 15th-19th centuries," Tripadvisor commented. … [Read more...] about Hoi An, HCM City among world’s top 25 trending destinations in 2023: TripAdvisor