The first festivals in Vietnam are held to pray for peace, luck, and good fortune for a new year, usually with a solemn ceremony and a festival with many fun and jubilant activities. 

Discover the famous New Year’s festivals in Vietnam

1. Long Tong Festival

The Long Tong Festival is one of the first festivals of the year in Vietnam held on a large scale. This is the festival of the people of the Northwest ethnic groups, especially the Tay, Nung, Dao, etc., which usually takes place in January every year. Depending on the traditions of each ethnic group and the locality, the specific time will be different.
 

People in mountainous provinces hold the Long Tong festival at the beginning of the year. Photo: Dak Lak Cultural Center 

People in the Northwest organize the Long Tong festival to pray for favorable weather, good crops, and trees to thrive. This is an opportunity for the highlanders to express their gratitude to heaven and earth, their ancestors helped them to exploit the fields and make a living by farming.
 

People in the Northwest provinces hold this festival to pray for favorable weather and good crops. Photo: Ethnic and Development Newspapers

Like many other spring festivals , the Long Tong festival is divided into two parts: the ceremony and the festival. In particular, the offering tray to heaven and earth is usually local produce and seeds. After the sacrifice is completed, people will conduct the plowing ritual “Tich Dien” to get luck, prosperity and prosperity for the new year. 
 

The provinces of Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Dien Bien,… organize the annual Long Tong festival. Photo: Ethnic and Development Newspapers

The festival usually takes place more excitingly with many activities such as the procession of Than Nong and Thanh Hoang from the communal house to the field, and the procession of offerings displayed on the festival grounds. In parallel, many folk games are organized such as bird nest, bam, volleyball, stick push, tug of war, stilt walking and especially traditional dances of the people of the Northwest.
 

Festival activities are held during the Long Tong festival. Photo: Minh Dan 

Today, this festival is held in most of the northern mountainous provinces. Visitors traveling at the beginning of the year in Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Yen Bai, etc. can all participate in this festival with local people. Surely this will be an unforgettable experience for those who want to learn more about the culture of ethnic minorities in Vietnam. 

2. Ban flower festival

One of the first festivals in Vietnam that tourists love very much is the Hoa Ban festival of the Thai ethnic group. This festival is usually held in the second lunar month every year – the right time when the ban flowers are in full bloom in the Northwest. Participating in the flower ban festival, visitors will experience many interesting activities.
 

In the spring, the ban flower blooms, the Northwest mountainous provinces hold the Ban flower festival. Photo: dulichvn

Hoa Ban festival, also known as Xen Muong festival, is held to worship “Then” – the supreme god according to the Thai people’s concept and at the same time to worship “Miss Ban” – a goddess symbolizing prosperity. virginity of Thai girls. Today, this festival is also held to pray for national peace, peaceful life, good crops, etc.
 

This is a traditional festival of the Thai ethnic group. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Magazine 

In the feast tray of this festival, there is usually a pig, two bowls of rice, two bowls of rice, a bottle of wine, a few branches of ban flowers, betel nut and some incense sticks. After fully preparing the ceremony tray, there will be a magician to perform the ritual of worshiping the cave and forest gods to pray for the people to have a full, prosperous and prosperous life. 
 

Ban flowers bloom throughout the mountains and forests of the northern mountainous provinces. Photo: VOVTV 

Nowadays, the Hoa Ban festival is organized on a larger scale with a series of programs such as blood music festival, sports competition, exchange programs, display of cultural and tourism products, beauty contest. Hoa Ban and performing traditional Xoe and Then dances of the Thai ethnic group. 
 

Thai girl with traditional spread dance. Photo: Health and Life 

This year, the 2023 Hoa Ban festival will be held in Dien Bien from March 10 to 13 with a series of attractive cultural, sports and tourism activities. Traveling to Dien Bien in March, visitors can both participate in the famous New Year’s festival in Vietnam and enjoy the beauty of the beautiful Northwest Ban flower season. 
 

3. Ba Den Mountain Spring Festival

Another New Year festival in Vietnam is taking place in the Southeast, which is the Ba Den Mountain festival in Tay Ninh province. This is Ba Den Mountain Spring Festival, usually held on the 4th – 16th of the first lunar month every year, attracting a large number of tourists from all over the world to flock to the “Holy Land” to immerse themselves in the joyful atmosphere at the beginning of the year. 

In the first lunar month, the Spring Festival of Ba Den Mountain is solemnly held. Photo: Mai Cat (VnExpress) 

Ba Den Mountain Spring Festival is held to pray for peace, prosperity and happiness. At the same time, this festival also commemorates Black Lady – a daughter who has blessed the villagers with good luck and good fortune. Today, this festival is known by many tourists, contributing to the strong development  of Tay Ninh tourism .
 

Visitors to Tay Ninh will experience many interesting festival activities. Photo: Mai Cat (VnExpress) 

Although the festival takes place continuously for more than 10 days, on the 5th of Tet there will be the most important ceremony. It is the ceremony of “Carrying out offerings”, people will offer her lamps, incense, fruits, tea, cakes, and wine. At the same time, there is a program of reading sutras, worshiping transcendence, repenting, etc. Visitors participating in the festival will prepare offerings to offer incense and pray for the best for them.  
 

Tourists flock to Ba Den mountain to participate in the spring festival at the beginning of the year. Photo: Mai Cat (VnExpress) 

This year, this festival in Tay Ninh has a lot of visitors participating. Therefore, if you want to experience the Spring Festival of Ba Den Mountain, visitors should prepare offerings from home and bring them, to avoid being raped as well as being “screamed” when buying at Ba Den pagoda area. The tray is also not necessarily a “full giraffe tray”, just formal, clean and the worshiper has a sincere heart. 

Along with this jubilant bustling festival, visitors can combine to the top of the mountain to discover the highest mountain tourist complex in the Southeast. This is a place for you to get lost in a beautiful space like a fairy scene, take pictures with the majestic Black Lady statue and live virtual with many beautiful miniatures.
 

Beautiful scenery on Ba Den mountain on the occasion of the new spring. Photo: Mai Cat (VnExpress) 

Each New Year festival in Vietnam has its own tradition and way of worshiping. But all are for the purpose of praying for peace, luck and good for people. Therefore, whether you go to the Northwest or go to the South, if you have the opportunity, join these festivals to see and pray for good omens for the new year. 
 

Photo: Internet