After a solemn ceremony with the participation of hundreds of Buddhist followers at Noi Bai airport, the sari was taken to Bai Dinh Pagoda – the largest Buddhist pagoda in Vietnam – in the northern province of Ninh Binh for a grand celebration on the same day. The treasure will be preserved in the pagoda’s stupa.

The sari – one of the purported relics left over after the physical body of the Buddha was cremated – was a gift from the President of the World Association of Buddhists in India to Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan during her official visit to the country in September last year.

The procession was recognised by the Vietnam Guinness Book Centre as the largest Buddhist treasure reception in Vietnam, which involved more than 15,000 pilgrims and over 1,000 motor vehicles.

According to historical document, this festival commenced in the 2nd century BC and it has been restored since 2002 after along time without holding in the past. It still contains many ancient tradition and includes 2 main part:ceremony and festival.

At the ceremony, villagers offered gifts to Hung King Temple to wish a prosperous year. In the festival, 25 buffalos from 19 communes in the villages joined a fighting. Finally, the champion was the buffalo of Chien Thang Commue.

See some picture taken in the festival:

About 6,000 spectators gathering at the festival

Buffalos taken to the stage

Buffalos fighting

A buffalo will win when participant runs away

Recording the fighting

Finally, buffalo meat was for sale.

National Assembly Vice Chairman Huynh Ngoc Son and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan attended the event and directly opened the seal.The event opened with a seal parade, and then the seal was distributed to nine pagodas, temples and visitors.

Under the Tran dynasty, the ceremony was held annually to kick off administrative activities, including rewarding and conferring titles.

The cultural and moral values then were passed from generation to generation, helping educate patriotism tradition of the Vietnamese ancestors. Visitors also come here to pray for gook luck and happiness.

Drumming gong to open festival

Gathering at the festival

Bamboo dancing

Flower dancing

Tet greeting and eating cakes

Shopping goods

Playing on the hill

Mother and baby joining festival

Prominent those present at the ceremony were Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan and the Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Council, Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu.

Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns, followers and visitors joined together in offering incense to King Tran Nhan Tong, who reigned over the country from 1279 to 1293.

Yen Tu has so far welcomed over 250,000 visitors since the first day of the lunar year and its festival will last three months during spring.

Yen Tu mountain is located about 50km from Ha Long City. The route of the pilgrimage, which winds from the foot of the mountain to its highest peak, is almost 30km. Dong Pagoda, which sits atop the mountain’s highest peak, is more than a kilometre above sea level.

The area’s beautiful natural landscape and awe-inspiring scenery, along with surrounding ancient pagodas and hermitages, are said to have been the reason that King Tran Nhan Tong passed the throne to his son so that he could devote his life living as a Buddhist monk at Yen Tu mountain. Whilst there, he founded the Truc Lam meditation sect, which has led to Yen Tu being recognised as the country’s leading centre for Buddhism.

Travelers came from traditional markets such as Japan, Russia, France, the United States, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom.

The rise was attributable to a growing number of overseas Vietnamese who returned to the home country as the city is hosting celebrations of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and the National Tourism Year.

Thanks to a longer Tet holiday, the number of outbound tourists also surged remarkably to some 20,000, mainly to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, domestic holidaymakers on this occasion numbered 1 million despite a 20% rise in tour costs, the department said.

National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong offered incense to commemorate King Hung and Mother Au Co and wished the people of Phu Tho province a happy new year.

According to the legend, the seventh day of the New Year was the day that Mother Au Co met and felt in love with Father Lac Long Quan. Legend has it that she gave birth to 100 children who became the first Vietnamese.

At 8.30pm, a group of male bearers carried a palanquin (a sedan type chair) of Hung Tran Quy Minh – patron deity of the village, to the temple of Mother Au Co. The procession was accompanied by people carrying colorful flags.

A funeral oration was read out outlining Mother Au Co’s strong character and achievements. The oration included a prayer for a good crop and peace throughout the country.

The festival featured art performances such as music and traditional games.

In 2010, along with the arrival of a new spring, we are entering a new year of the tiger that reminds us of unforgettable events in the nation’s history.

The year of tiger in 714, Mai Thuc Loan, also known as Mai Hac De (the Black Emperor), successfully led a heroic revolt against Chinese invaders, halting the domination of the Chinese Tang dynasty and bringing back national liberation.

The year of tiger in 906, Khuc Thua Du led insurgent troops to struggle against the Chinese Tang aggressor and take over Dai La Citadel (now Hanoi) proclaiming himself Governor. On February 7, 906 (the 11th day of the first lunar month), the Chinese Tang dynasty was overthrown, and the Vietnamese people ruled their own territory, successfully ending more than 1000 years of Chinese domination.

The year of tiger in 966, the 12 Lords Rebellion (Loạn 12 Sứ Quân) was a period of chaos and civil war in the history of Vietnam, from 966 to 968 AD during the Ngo Dynasty, due to a conflict of succession after the death of King Ngo Quyen.

The year of tiger in 1002, King Le Dai Hanh intensified a series of measures to adjust and reform the administrative and political system. He issued laws, renamed administrative units and divided mandarins into two groups – civil and military. He also reorganized and streamlined the army.

The year of tiger in 1038, King Ly Thai Ton himself got involved in ploughing in Bo Hai rice field to promote agriculture and set an example for local farmers. This fine customs was then upheld by generations throughout the ensuing dynasties.

The year of tiger in 1158, mandarin Nguyen Quoc advised King Ly Anh Ton to set a glass box at the royal court so that mandarins and the people could file complaints, denunciations and petitions on paper. The King followed the advice and received the box full of petition papers one month later. This method proved the effective in drawing people’s opinions and demonstrated progress in democratic practices.

The year of tiger in 1230, the Tran dynasty issued many documents regulating the organisation and management of authorities. The same year, the dynasty also revised some articles in its existing laws.
The year of tiger in 1242, the Tran dynasty began administrative reform on a large scale, divided its territory into different administrative units and reorganised local mandarin networks. The Tran dynasty made a family record book, classifying citizens and imposing taxes.

The year of tiger in 1374, a feudal Court examination was organised to select first doctoral candidates, second doctoral laureates, third doctoral laureates, second-rank doctors and candidates with good academic results. The examination was held every seven years to select the top 30 candidates. The same year, the Tran dynasty also introduced measures to preserve traditional cultural values. The dynasty prohibited people from wearing Chinese-style clothes and speaking the Lao and Cambodian languages.

The year of tiger in 1398, Mandarin Ho Quy Ly implemented a comprehensive land reform.

The year of tiger in 1506, the Le dynasty launched a large examination at Giang Vo royal court. More than 30,000 candidates at the event competed in writing skills and mathematics. As a result, 1,519 candidates passed the exam.

The year of tiger in 1614, the Vietnamese alphabet was first introduced in Vietnam by Portuguese priests.

The year of tiger in 1650, businesspeople from France, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands and Japan were allowed to extend their stay in Thanh Tri village on the outskirt of Hanoi, to run their businesses in the capital city. Vietnam’s foreign trade relations began to develop strongly.

The year of tiger in 1698, the Mandarin Nguyen Huu Canh moved to the south to establish Gia Dinh palace in order to manage two districts, namely Phuoc Long in Bien Hoa and Tan Binh in Saigon, stretching from the Saigon River to Vam Co Dong River. The former Saigon (nowadays Ho Chi Minh City) was established during that time.

The year of tiger in 1782, three brothers, Nguyen Nhac, Nguyen Hue and Nguyen Lu, launched an uprising in 1771 that ousted the Trinh-Le regime in the north and eventually toppled the Nguyen Lord in the south. The Tay Son uprising achieved great success and took control of the whole country. Lord Nguyen Anh suffered a heavy defeat and fled to foreign countries to call for support.

The year of tiger in 1806, Nguyen Anh took the throne and named himself Gia Long, becoming the first King of the last feudal dynasty in Vietnam’s history.

The year of tiger in 1830, the Nguyen Dynasty sent many mandarin delegations to various countries around the world to establish and develop diplomatic relations.

The year of tiger in 1854, Cao Ba Quat rose up in arms against the offensive ruling Nguyen dynasty. Although the uprising received strong support from the people, it was trounced by the Nguyen dynasty.

The year of tiger in 1866, the Truong Quyen insurgent army coordinated with the Pokum Pao insurgent army to fight French invaders. They claimed victories in many localities in Vietnam and Cambodia.

The year of tiger in 1950, The border campaign achieved great success. Vietnamese troops liberated the 750-km Vietnam-China border area and destroyed the strategic corridor and blockade of the French colonials.

The year of tiger in 1986, the 6th National Party Congress was held, opening a new chapter for national renewal process.

The year of tiger in 1998, all provinces and cities in Vietnam celebrated the 300th anniversary of the establishment of the former Saigon city (now Ho Chi Minh City) and the 30th anniversary of the Mau Than (The Year of Monkey) General Uprising in 1968. Various activities also took place to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam.

The year of tiger in 2010, Vietnam celebrated the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the 35th anniversary of Southern Liberation Day and National Unification, the 120th birth anniversary of the late President Ho Chi Minh, the 65th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day. A variety of activities will also be held to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam National Unified Front. The year will also see the organisation of Party congresses at all level and the 11th National Party Congress.

Only the Thang Long Water Puppetry Theater, which has three shows a day, is well known to tourists. Other theaters don’t have regular shows.

The Vietnam Tuong Theatre recently launched a website in English and Vietnamese, introducing its history of tuong and its performing schedules. The theatre also tries to organize occasional shows at the Hong Ha theater on every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon to serve foreign tourists.

The show comprises tuong extracts, such as “The old husband carries his young wife on his back to a festival”, “Mother unicorn gives birth”, “Hue royal court music” and “Ho Nguyet Co changes into a fox”. These items are mainly performed in dance so it is not difficult to understand for foreigners.

However, the theater director, People’s Artist Hoang Khiem complained that the shows do attract many audiences because travel firms won’t add it to their tours.

Meanwhile, the Hanoi Cheo Theater has built good relationships with travel firms over the last four years and has two shows a week for tourists.

The theatre’s director Trinh Thuy Mui said her shows are always full. The theater introduces ancient cheo extracts like “Thi Mau visits pagoda”, “Suy Van pretends to be mad”, and the “Tam Cam Sisters”.

The Vietnam Cheo Theater has also launched weekend shows at the Kim Ma Theater, Hanoi, for tourists. Besides ancient and modern cheo extracts, the theatre introduces Vietnamese folk songs and music. Its website in English and Vietnamese has been launched, too.

“The public hasn’t neglected traditional arts,” said Thao Giang, deputy director of the Vietnam Center for Music Art Development, saying that the hat xam show on every Saturday at the Dong Xuan market is soon to reach its1000th show.

The free show attracts thousands, including many foreign tourists every Saturday night. However, the Vietnam Center for Music Art Development can only introduce a number of hat xam songs because of a lack of funds.

Effectively advertising traditional arts is a difficult job.

In HCM City, the policy to serve tourists with traditional arts has been implemented since 2005. The local Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has combined with local theaters to organize traditional music shows for foreign tourists.

The Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theater introduced cai luong shows with special extracts like Luc Van Tien – Kieu Nguyet Nga, Lu Bo-Dieu Thuyen and Da Co Hoai Lang, performed by the Light up faith troupe.

The HCM City Art Performance Company has a “Painting of Motherland” show with many special songs and dances.

However, after four years, all of these programs have closed due to lack of audiences and lack of funds.

Phan Quoc Hung, director of the Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theater, said that a lack of cooperation between theaters and travel firms is the biggest reason.

At present, only the Rong Vang Water Puppetry Theatre still opens its door for tourists. Actress Hong Van recently opened the Super Bowl stage, where she performs dramas in English.

Girls in traditional “Ao Dai”

Music show on spring theme

Celebrating at the foot of Ly Thai To King’s statute

Thang Long drum performance

Five tigers dancing to welcome the year of Tiger

Marching to welcome 1000-year old capital

Sport dancing

Wushu performance of Thuy Linh and Tra Mi

Releaseing ballon balls at Hoan Kiem Lake.