The opening ceremony was attended by Politburo member Tran Quoc Vuong, head of the Central Inspection Committee and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh.
The festival is set to run until February 25 with a variety of traditional rituals and activities to be held such as a water procession, cooking competitions, rice making competitions and folk games, among others.
According to historical records, Hung Ha district, formerly known as Long Hung, was where the Trans first established themselves.
The Trans were one of the most prosperous dynasties of imperial Vietnam, defeating three Mongol invasions, during which Long Hung was chosen as the base to mobilise soldiers, food and weapons to resist the world’s strongest army at the time.
It is also the burial site of the Tran Dynasty’s earliest kings.
On this occasion, Deputy PM Vu Van Ninh presented a certificate to Hung Ha authorities officially recognising the district as a new rural area.
* The same day, the Lim festival in northern Bac Ninh province opened, which attracted thousands of visitors and local residents, who flocked to the town of Lim to appreciate quan ho music, which was recognised as intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO.
