Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and other high ranking officials offer incense in commemoration of Kings Hùng, the legendary founders of Việt Nam, at the Kings Hùng Temple in the special national historical heritage site in Phú Thọ Province. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Tens of thousands of visitors from across the country flocked to Kings Hùng Temple in the special national historical heritage site in the northern province of Phú Thọ yesterday to attend the incense offering ceremony commemorating Kings Hùng, the legendary founders of Việt Nam.

The ceremony, which was held at Kính Thiên Palace on Nghĩa Lĩnh Mountain in Việt Trì City, was attended by Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính.

PM Chính, other officials of the Party, State, ministries, sectors, central agencies and localities, along with pilgrims near and far attended the event, expressing deep gratitude to the 18 Kings Hùng, the legendary founders of the nation, paving the way for the construction and development of today's beautiful, prosperous and civilised country.

Following that, the delegation offered incense at the Tomb of Kings Hùng and laid wreaths at the the monument to President Hồ Chí Minh and soldiers of the Viêt Nam People's Army (VPA) at the Giếng Temple Intersection.

Following the historic Điện Biên Phủ Victory over the French troops in May 1954 and the signing of the Geneva Accords in July the same year, Division 308 of the VPA returned to take over the capital Hà Nội from the French. At Giếng Temple on September 19, 1954, President Hồ met the victorious soldiers on their way to Hà Nội, telling them that "Kings Hùng founded the nation and Vietnamese people must together protect it".

The procession to Nghĩa Lĩnh Mountain. — VNA/VNS Photo Nhật Anh

The incense offering ceremony was the most important ritual of the Kings Hùng Temple Festival and the Culture and Tourism Week of the Ancestral Land 2024, held from April 9 to 18 at the historical heritage site in Phú Thọ.

One of the festival-goers, Trần Thị Cẩm from the northern province of Yên Bái, arrived at the temple at 6am.

“My family often gather to prepare a feast to pay tribute to the legendary ancestors at home, but this year we decided to go on a pilgrimage to Kings Hùng Temple to present our offerings,” she said.

“This is also an occasion for families to reconnect with our ancestral roots and uphold the traditions of patriotism and moral values, as well as to show gratitude to the previous generations who contributed to building the nation,” she added.

According to Lê Trường Giang, director of the Kings Hùng Temple Historical Site, the temple is recognised as the largest and oldest place of worship for the kings in Việt Nam.

Particularly, after the worship of Kings Hùng was listed as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2012, the number of pilgrims visiting the site to pay respects to the national ancestors has been increasing.

Every year, Phú Thọ welcomes millions of tourists to the Kings Hùng Temple Festival.

Thousands of visitors from across the country flock to Phú Thọ Province to attend the Kings Hùng Festival this year. — VNA/VNS Photo Nhật Anh

This year the number of visitors to the festival increased significantly compared to previous years, especially in the days leading up to the main event. This is a great success in the conservation and promotion of the cultural value of worshiping the Kings Hùng, he noted.

Besides Phú Thọ, many localities across the country with temples dedicated to the Kings Hùng like HCM City, Đắk Lắk, Cần Thơ or Hưng Yên have also organised a wide range of folk activities to commemorate the national founders. — VNS