The opening ceremony of the Pho Hien Folk Culture Festival 2026

Comrade Pham Quang Ngoc, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, with provincial leaders and the Festival Organizing Committee, respectfully offer incense at Tran Temple.

Comrade Pham Quang Ngoc, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, with provincial leaders and the Festival Organizing Committee, respectfully offer incense at Mother Goddess Temple.

The opening ceremony saw the participation of Comrades: Pham Quang Ngoc, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Tran Quoc Toan, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hung Yen province; Members of the Provincial Party Committee’s Standing Board, leaders of the Provincial People's Council and the Provincial People's Committee, the Provincial Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Provincial National Assembly Delegation; leaders of departments, agencies, and localities; representatives of the business community, the Hung Yen Hometown Association, and a large number of people and tourists from all over the country.

Comrade Pham Quang Ngoc, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, with provincial leaders, perform the ritual of releasing floating lanterns on Ban Nguyet Lake.

Before the opening ceremony, Comrade Pham Quang Ngoc, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, with provincial leaders and the Festival Organizing Committee, respectfully offered incense at the Mother Goddess Temple and Tran Temple, and performed the ritual of releasing floating lanterns on Ban Nguyet Lake (Pho Hien ward). These solemn and symbolic rituals not only demonstrate the principle of "drinking water, remembering the source" but also affirm the continuity of cultural heritage, connecting the past, present, and future in the sacred space of this land of outstanding people and rich history.

The opening dance performance.

Reviving the essence of heritage - Creating momentum for development

In his opening remarks at the Festival, Comrade Pham Van Nghiem, the Provincial Party Committee’s Member, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and Head of the Organizing Committee for provincial-level festivals, affirmed: Hung Yen is a land rich in historical, cultural, and revolutionary traditions; a place that gathers and preserves a rich treasure of cultural heritage with 3,716 historical and cultural relics, including 6 special national relics, 284 national relics; and over 10 national treasures. The entire province currently has 1,152 traditional festivals, with 20 festivals included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Pho Hien historical and architectural site was ranked as a special national relic by the Prime Minister in 2014.

Comrades Pham Quang Ngoc, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Tran Quoc Toan, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the province; and delegates, and a large number of people and tourists attend the opening ceremony.

In the flow of national history, Pho Hien stands out as a unique symbol. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was once the most bustling trading port of the Northern region, the second only to the capital Thang Long. Not only a vibrant trading center, Pho Hien was also an early cultural exchange point between the East and the West, a gathering place for merchants from many countries such as Japan, the Netherlands, England, France, Portugal, along with the Chinese community and Southeast Asian countries.

Comrade Pham Van Nghiem, the Provincial Party Committee’s Member, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and Head of the Organizing Committee for provincial-level festivals, delivers the opening speech at the Pho Hien Folk Culture Festival 2026.

Historical documents preserved in the stele at Hien Pagoda (1625) and Chuong Pagoda (1709) show that Pho Hien once had 23 streets and wards – a vivid evidence of a developed and dynamic commercial city. With its role as a "traffic control center," serving as both the center for managing foreign trade of the imperial court and the hub for collecting taxes and controlling ships, Pho Hien held a special position in the trading system of Dai Viet, clearly demonstrating the open-mindedness, integration, and development capabilities of the nation during its prosperous period.

Through historical changes, Pho Hien today still preserves a rich system of heritage, embodying the unique cultural, historical, and architectural values ​​of the Red River Delta region. The Pho Hien historical and architectural site has been classified as a special national monument with 16 representative relics, associated with the landmarks such as the Xich Dang Temple of Literature - a symbol of the tradition of studiousness; Chuong Pagoda - "Pho Hien's first scenic spot"; Tran Temple, Mother Goddess Temple, along with a lot of ancient communal houses, pagodas, and assembly halls.

The Pho Hien festival space is rich in folk traditions with rituals of incense offering, sacrifices, water processions, palanquin processions, and many traditional games and performances. All of these blend together, creating a unique cultural and spiritual space where the past and present intersect, contributing to the enrichment of the people's identity and spiritual life.

Based on that practical experience, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Pham Van Nghiem emphasized the overarching guiding principle: Culture is the spiritual foundation of society, both a goal and a driving force for development. Preserving and promoting the value of the Pho Hien heritage is not only a responsibility to history but also an urgent requirement to effectively exploit cultural resources to serve socio-economic development, especially tourism and cultural industries.

According to the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee: In recent years, Hung Yen province has allocated significant resources to restore and renovate the relics within the Pho Hien complex, gradually restoring the appearance of the heritage space. In particular, the province is developing a project to "Invest in the construction and reconstruction of the ancient Pho Hien trading port," aiming not only to reconstruct the ancient urban space but also to revive historical memories and awaken the values ​​that once made Pho Hien so special.

Therefore, the "revival of Pho Hien" should not stop at static preservation but must be linked to promoting its value, harmoniously exploiting the balance between preservation and development, making the heritage a self-generated resource and an important driving force for sustainable growth. This is also a concrete step to realize the Party's policy on building an advanced Vietnamese culture, rich in national identity, linked to the development of the cultural industry in the new era.

With its long-standing history and strong aspirations for development, Pho Hien - Hung Yen is facing the opportunity for a powerful "revival," becoming a unique cultural and tourism center of the Red River Delta, contributing to promoting the image of Vietnam to the world, and accompanying the whole country into a new era of development - prosperous, civilized, and thriving.

Comrade Pham Quang Ngoc, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, performs the drum-beating ceremony to inaugurate the festival.

Spreading values ​​– Expanding the development space

Taking place from April 25th to 27th (corresponding to the 9th to 11th day of the 3rd lunar month of the Binh Ngo year), the Pho Hien Folk Culture Festival 2026 is one of Hung Yen's provincial-level festivals; a unique cultural event attracting a large number of people and tourists.

In a space rich in historical heritage, the festival evokes memories of a glorious trading port, where traditional cultural values ​​are revived and spread. Festival activities are organized throughout the entire complex of historical sites, creating a colorful "cultural picture". The series of festival activities begin with the water procession ritual – a ceremony deeply rooted in spirituality and closely associated with the lives of the riverine inhabitants. Following this are folk cultural activities such as dragon dance, tug-of-war, human chess, sack race, etc., contributing to a vibrant and attractive atmosphere, both preserving traditions and attracting tourists.

After the opening drum performance by Comrade Pham Quang Ngoc, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, delegates, people, and tourists from all over enjoyed a special art program with the theme "Pho Hien: A Legend Worthy of Its Name - Returning to the Land of Scenic Spots. The program was elaborately staged with the participation of more than 450 famous actors and artists; harmoniously combining tradition and modernity, recreating the depth of history, honoring cultural values, and arousing pride and aspirations for development of the Party Committee, government, and people of Hung Yen. The program concluded with a low-altitude fireworks display, creating an impressive highlight on the opening night.

The 2026 Pho Hien Folk Culture Festival is not only an opportunity to honor and spread heritage values ​​but also a chance to promote the image of Hung Yen – a land rich in tradition, friendly, and dynamic – to domestic and international tourists. Through the festival, Hung Yen province continues to affirm its determination to make cultural tourism an important economic sector, contributing to promoting socio-economic development and improving the lives of the people; while strengthening cultural exchange, connecting with other localities, and gradually asserting its position on the national tourism map.

Some images of the special art program with the theme "Pho Hien: A Legend Worthy of Its Name - Returning to the Land of Scenic Spots":

A large number of local people and tourists from all over the country attend the opening ceremony of the Pho Hien Folk Culture Festival 2026.

The program concludes with a low-altitude fireworks display, creating a memorable highlight of the opening night.