Residents and tourists release floating lanterns, hoping for good fortune. — VNA/VNS Photo

PHÚ THỌ — The 2026 Fishing Festival and Lantern Release on the Đà River was held on Thursday in Phú Thọ Province.

Crowds gathered at the pedestrian flower garden area on Đà Giang Street, Hòa Bình Ward to honour cultural traditions.

The event was organised as part of Resolution No 80-NQ/TW of the Politburo on 'developing Vietnamese culture'.

It featured spiritual activities deeply rooted in national identity, while also promoting the tourism and culture of the Mường people to both domestic and international visitors.

At the ceremony, the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hòa Bình Ward, Nguyễn Hữu Luyện, emphasised that the festival honours the traditional spiritual and cultural values of the Vietnamese people. Through meaningful rituals, participants expressed wishes for national peace and prosperity, favourable weather, abundant harvests and the well-being and happiness of the people.

The programme also aimed to preserve and promote the locality’s unique cultural values, particularly the Mo Mường cultural heritage and the Mường gong culture closely associated with the lives of ethnic communities along the Đà River region.

A highlight of the festival was the fishing prayer ceremony and the release of floating lanterns on the Đà River - an activity with profound spiritual significance, expressing gratitude to the river and aspirations for peace, goodness, and happiness.

Thousands of floating lanterns illuminated the river, creating a shimmering and magical atmosphere and conveying wishes for peace, good fortune and joy. The carefully staged artistic program featured performances rooted in Mường cultural traditions, including the drum and gong ensemble 'The Source' and the choral performance 'The Harvest Prayer'.

Organisers also arranged motorboats to assist the ceremony, guiding both tourists and residents in releasing floating lanterns simultaneously along the riverbank. After the lantern release, fireworks were launched to mark the occasion.

The Fishing Festival and Lantern Release on the Đà River is expected to become a distinctive cultural tourism product of the locality, contributing to the preservation of traditional cultural values, promoting spiritual and experiential tourism, and enhancing the image of Hòa Bình Ward and Phú Thọ Province as a destination rich in the cultural identity of the northwest region. — VNS