The festival took place on the evening of March 3 at the An Dong Ward Public Service Center, 105 Tran Hung Dao Street, An Dong Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
Among attendees were city leaders including Le Quoc Phong, Member of the Party Central Committee and Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; Nguyen Manh Cuong, Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee; Duong Anh Duc, Head of the City Party Committee’s Commission for Propaganda and Mass Mobilization; and Truong Thi Bich Hanh, Standing Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City.
Also present were former city leaders Nguyen Thi Le, former Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and former Chairwoman of the City People’s Council; Vo Thi Dung, former Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; representatives of Chinese assembly halls, partner organizations, artisans, artists, officials, youth union members and a large number of local residents.
Lantern Festival is an important cultural and spiritual event in the life of the Chinese community in Ho Chi Minh City. Recognizing its profound historical and humanistic values, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism listed the “Social practices and beliefs related to the Lantern Festival of the Chinese community in former District 5, Ho Chi Minh City as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2020.
From the afternoon of March 3, the festival atmosphere was lively and vibrant, featuring a grand parade with around 1,200 performers, artisans and lion and dragon dance troupes, along with traditional music and stilt-walking performances.
The procession passed through Hai Thuong Lan Ong, Chau Van Liem, Lao Tu, Luong Nhu Hoc, Nguyen Trai, and Tran Xuan Hoa streets before arriving at the main stage for the festival, located at An Dong Ward Public Service Center.
>>>Below are series of photos from the festival.
Also on March 3, various cultural activities were held at Chinese assembly halls, adding vibrant colors and warmth to the traditional festival.
On the same day, the Vinh Long Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the Minister’s decision to include the “Lantern Festival in Tra Cu” in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list. This recognition highlights the historical and cultural value of a festival that has existed for more than 120 years, originating from the traditional beliefs of the local Chinese community. Over time, it has evolved into a shared cultural space for the Hoa (Chinese -Vietnamese), Kinh and Khmer ethnic groups in Dai An Commune and the Tra Cu area.
