The ceremony has become an annual activity over the past eight years for the Vietnamese community in Thailand on the 10th day of the third lunar month. From early morning, community members gathered at Khánh An Pagoda, preparing offerings with traditional items such as bánh chưng (square sticky rice cakes), bánh dày (round sticky rice cakes), along with incense, flowers, tea and fruit to present at the Hung Kings’ altar.

Luong Xuan Hoa, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Udon Thani, recalled President Ho Chi Minh’s words on the Hung Kings’ role in founding the nation, saying he has maintained this activity every year to remind the community of their roots. He stressed that although many were born and raised in Thailand, Vietnamese heritage remains in each person and “we always look towards the homeland.”

For the Vietnamese community in Udon Thani, this year’s ceremony had an additional element as it was attended by and featured performances from a lion and dragon dance troupe from Vietnam, aimed at introducing Vietnamese lion dance culture to international audiences.

Venerable Kusol Singkun, abbot of Khánh An Pagoda, said: “This year’s Hung Kings Commemoration is a special event as the Vietnamese Association invited a lion and dragon dance troupe to perform traditional cultural and artistic programmes of national scale. I am very pleased and highly appreciate this meaningful activity.”

Meanwhile, Meritorious Artist Trong Trinh, Chairman of the Vietnam Lion and Dragon Federation, expressed strong impressions of the affection, sincerity and love for the homeland shown by the Vietnamese community in Udon Thani as he attended the ceremony for the first time.

He said he was happy and surprised by these sentiments, adding that wherever they live, they continue to preserve their love for their homeland and that Vietnamese identity is present in each person.

The Hung Kings Commemoration Day not only serves as an occasion for the community to show respect and gratitude to their ancestors, but also contributes to preserving and passing on cultural traditions and national roots to future generations.

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