The festival featured traditional rituals, a singing contest, a rice-cooking competition, and folk games including tug of war, cockfighting, and wrestling, in addition to volleyball and football.
The festival is held annually to worship Mother Lang Thi Tieu, a Hung Queen, who helped the king defeat invaders and taught the people how to grow rice and make handicrafts.
A 2.5km-long telpher, which reaches from the foot of Thach Ban Mountain to Thuong (Upper) Temple, was installed to meet the increasing demand of visitors.
Sixteen new eight-seat cabins have been added, bringing the total number to 50 cabins.
During the 10-11 minute journey up the mountain, visitors can contemplate the beauty of the Tay Thien complex and feel the tranquility, poetry and holiness in the air of the imposing landscape of the Tam Dao range—mantled by clouds, wind and fog, and blanketed in colourful and fragrant flowers.
The Tay Thien Festival opens at the Truc Lam (Bamboo Forest) Tay Thien Zen Monastery, one the most impressive and peaceful monasteries in Vietnam.
Tay Thien is considered the birthplace of Vietnamese Buddhism. A Buddhist monk from India came to this spot in the 3rd century BCE and chose the mountain as the spot from which to propagate the religion.
![[In Pictures] Vietnamese ancient costumes restored by young people](https://image-en.nhandan.vn/350x200/Uploaded/2024/bpcgtqvp/2024_02_12/ndo-br-9-9392-8246.jpg)
