The Hùng Kings Festival this year will not include palanquin processions or be broadcast live on television to avoid crowding. Photo thethaovanhoa.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Hùng Kings Festival this year will only include ceremonial activities and exclude any festivities, according to the vice chairman of the People’s Committee of the northern province of Phú Thọ, Hồ Đại Dũng.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the festival's organisers, the vice chairman stressed that the event would take place in a solemn and respectful atmosphere, while strictly abiding by measures to prevent and control COVID-19 from spreading under the guidance of the Ministry of Health.

According to the new plan, this year's festival will have three main ceremonial activities – a tribute to the  nation's legendary father Lạc Long Quân, an incense ceremony dedicated to the nation’s legendary mother Âu Cơ and an incense ceremony to pay tribute to the Hùng Kings.

The ceremonies this year will not include palanquin processions and will not be broadcast live on television to avoid crowding.

The vice chairman requested the Department of Health to coordinate with the management board of the Hùng Kings Temple Historical Relic Site to spray disinfectant, assign staff to take temperatures and supply sanitiser, distribute masks, and collect and dispose of those masks according to regulations.

The provincial police and military command will build a plan to ensure order and security at the event, while the Department of Information and Communications will issue press cards for reporters covering the festival.

The Hùng Kings’ Temple Relic Complex covers over 1,000ha, more than half of which is forest. The complex is scattered with dozens of temples dedicated to the legendary kings.

There are over 300 temples dedicated to the Hùng Kings and other figures from the Hồng Bàng Dynasty (2879 to 258 BC) in Phú Thọ, and nearly 1,500 sites dedicated to the kings throughout the country.

On December 6, 2012, UNESCO officially placed the ‘worship of Hùng kings in Phú Thọ’ on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

The Hùng Kings’ Temple Festival is held annually from the 8th to the 11th day of the third lunar month, which falls on March 31 to April 3, as a tribute to Hùng Kings who are credited to establish the nation. The main festival day, which is also a public holiday in Việt Nam, is on the 10th day or April 2. — VNS