At the opening ceremony of the Hùng Kings Temple Festival in Phu Tho province on April 9. VNA/VNS Photo

PHÚ THỌ - The Hùng Kings Temple Festival, one of the country’s largest annual cultural and religious events to commemorate its legendary founders, opened in the northern province of Phú Thọ on April 9.

This year, the festival and an associated culture and tourism programme are set to take place in Việt Trì city – which houses the renown temple – as well as various other districts and townships across the province from April 9 to 18 (or the 1st to the 10th day of the third lunar month).

Main rituals during the festival include ceremonies at the temple to offer incense to Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ – the progenitors of Vietnamese people.

Nguyễn Đắc Thủy, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, said that this year's festive activities are closely linked with tourism promotion, including performances of Xoan singing, a volleyball tournament, a trade fair and exhibition of products under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme, and a high-altitude fireworks display on the evening of April 17.

The Ancestral Land Cultural and Tourism Week is a highlight with various activities such as exhibitions at the Phú Thọ Library and Hung Kings Museum, the street music programme "Việt Trì Livemusic" in Việt Trì city, and a music festival of local folk songs.

The commemoration of the Hùng Kings is a national holiday that takes place annually on the 10th day of the third lunar month, which falls on April 18 this year. The practice of worshiping them in Phú Thọ was recognised by UNESCO as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage in 2012. VNS