Festivals

The value of cultural characteristics of Quang Nam land is accumulated in festivals, custom and spiritual life in daily activities of ethnic communities who live together in this land. Quang Nam festival is an entity that includes a variety of ethnic, history, religion and cultural elements. It is usually organized in a smaller sphere than the northern festivals but is very diversified, plentiful and unique at all.
Some typical traditional and cultural tourism festivals in Quang Nam:
Vehicle procession Duoc festival
Vehicle procession festival takes place in Duoc market, Binh Trieu ward, Thang Binh district, attaches to the legend of Ms Nguyen Thi Cua. She was very supernatural, gave medicine & treated as well as punished corrupt officials.
She herself turned deserted area into the crowed market called Duoc market. To memorize her, people formed the temple. On annual January 11, there is a festival including quiet-seeking, worshiping, lion dancing, classical drama, boat race and especially the palanquin mass around the village for people’ worshiping.

Long Chu Festival
Every year, the festival takes place on lunar July 15th. This is the festival of fishing villagers around Hoi An city to get rid of plague when coming to new season. It is organized in the common house in hamlets and communes. During the festival, there is a procession of Long Chu (King boat in the form of a dragon-a holy symbol to prevent bad evils from the common house to the riverbank, then Long Chu is floated into the sea.
Before the festival, shamans put up incense table and put amulets in the place believed as the shelter of ghosts and devils. Following the shamans, teenagers with cold steel (machete) in their hands clear the bushes along the village path and together sing in response to each other in an exciting atmosphere. During the day of main festival, the priest holds offering rituals; after that, the Long Chu procession takes place to get rid of ghosts and epidemic around the village. In the festival, traditional games and classical drama last from morning till night.
Cau Bong Festival
Yearly, this festival takes place on a nice day in spring on Hoi An river (near Cua Dai). It is the ceremony for beginning crops of the new year. The festival includes a boat race, with a wish for fruitful crops, prosperity and security for the local people.
Nguyen Tieu Festival
The festival is held in Trieu Chau and Quang Trieu clubhouses on lunar January 16th. This is the first worship in the year of people descended from Trieu Chau and Quang Dong provinces (in China). Apart from traditional rituals, there are lion dances and lottery games. The festival lures the large participation of Chinese people and visitors.
Lady Thien Hau’s birthday Festival
This festival is organized in Phuc Kien and Ngu Bang club house by Chinese people living in Hoi An on lunar March 23rd every year, to worship the goddess who save ships and boats in danger at sea. The festival is divided into two parts: the first part is traditional rituals of the Chinese style and the second part is traditional performances such as lion dance and consulting the oracles. The clubhouse grounds are colourfully decorated. A large number of local people and visitors take part in the exciting atmosphere during the festival.
Lady Thubon Festival
It is a traditional festival of ancient Champa people that is inherited & kept till nowadays. This festival falls on lunar February 12th in Lady Thu Bon’s Palace in Duy Tan commune, Duy Xuyen district.
Lady Thu Bon, also known as Lady Bo Bo, the woman who made great contributions to found agriculture and fishery in alluvial land. During the festival, the atmosphere is excited and animated. Apart from the offering, the festival includes traditional games and processions such as: regatta, vehicle and water processions, dances and festival songs. In these days, Thu Bon river is sometimes waved by the acclamation and encouragement along two riversides but sometimes is engraved and fond in the memory of the past.
Now, Lady Thu Bon festival is being revived with many ancient games of Central region by Duy Xuyen authorities.
Coming to the festival, tourists have a chance to visit My Son Temple and Tower Zone – a famous world’s cultural heritage.
Sin Fish Festival
On the death anniversary day of Ca Ong, this festival takes place in Ca Ong’s tomb or in the death place of Ca Ong. It is originated from the coastal people’s religion. After the offerings, people altogether sing folksongs, classical dramas.
Minh Hai Ancestor Worship
On November 7th every lunar year, this worship is usually carried out in the Chuc Thanh pagoda, consisting of Buddhist rituals. After the worship, there are entertainment activities, music, camps and traditional games.
Hoi An Full Moon Night
This falls on lunar 14 every month - the day of the full moon. At night, Hoi An looks like a great stage, fanciful and briliant with colorful lanterns. Hoi An people wearing ancient clothes become actors in reciting poems, playing mah-jong and chess together. These activities relive the beautiful atmosphere of an ancient port with rural pleasures in traditional festivals.
From 6.00 p.m till midnight, the whole ancient town are quite, and no vehicles. Both travellers and regional people, Vietnamese and foreigners go for a walk together in the cozy atmosphere, unforgettable memories.
"Quang Nam - The Heritage Itinerary" Festival
This is the stunning cultural and tourism event of the province with many diverse activities that aim to respect the cultural characteristics and propagate tourism products in Quang Nam.
The festival activities are mainly organized in the big tourism places such as Hoi An, My Son, Cham island, Phu Ninh reservoir and traditional craft villages. The first “Quang Nam - The Heritage Itinerary” festival was organized in the year 2003 and since then it had been continued to hold once two years. Coming to the festival, tourists will be excited by the lively atmosphere and enjoy the traditional arts which have the deep cultural characteristics of Quang Nam and some regions in the country, they can also participate in folk games and another sport activities. This festival is a place for meeting and interchanging with artists, actors and athletes especially with visitors from around the world.