Thousands flock to Thuong Temple Festival

Nhan Dan – Thousands of visitors and pilgrims flocked to the opening ceremony of the Thuong (Upper) Temple Festival on February 14 (the fifteenth day of the first lunar month) at the Thuong Temple, a historical and cultural site in northern Lao Cai province.

At the opening ceremony
At the opening ceremony

The festival opened with a palanquin procession and incense offerings to show gratitude to Tran Quoc Tuan, who played a vital role in the development of the Tran dynasty and is now honoured as a national saint.

A series of cultural and sports activities were held during the festival along with a display of agricultural products and handicrafts from 17 communes and wards in Lao Cai city.

Visitors also had the opportunity to enjoy the traditional dishes of ethnic minority people in Lao Cai such as Bac Ha wine, dried pork, and seven-coloured steamed glutinous rice.

The annual festival kicks off the ‘Travelling to the Roots’ tourism programme which is co-organised annually by Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Phu Tho provinces to promote tourism in the northern mountainous region.