This is the first festival organized by the Hung Yen provincial People’s Committee since the province’s recent administrative consolidation, marking a new stage in its development.

Held in early spring each year, the Tran Temple Festival in Hung Yen is a spiritual and cultural event honoring the merits of the Tran dynasty’s kings, queens, princesses and mandarins on their ancestral land.

Historical records note that the Tran ancestors originated in the former An Sinh area, now An Sinh ward in Quang Ninh province, where they initially made their living through fishing.

During the time of Tran Kinh, the family moved to Tuc Mac village in Thien Truong prefecture, now Thien Truong ward in Ninh Binh province.

Tran Hap, son of Tran Kinh, later identified a sacred site regarded as favorable in terms of feng shui and relocated his father’s remains for reburial at Ma Sao in Thai Duong hamlet, Long Hung prefecture-today part of Hung Yen province.

From their fishing roots, Tran Hap and his descendants gradually reclaimed land, established settlements and built a strong lineage, laying the foundation for a prominent dynasty in Vietnamese history.

In keeping with the tradition of honoring ancestral roots, the Tran dynasty selected Thai Duong as the site for its ancestral temple and royal tombs.

Historical accounts record that after defeating the Yuan forces on the Bach Dang River, Retired Emperor Tran Thanh Tong and Emperor Tran Nhan Tong returned to Long Hung prefecture to perform ancestral rites and celebrate the victory at Chieu Lang.

Temples dedicated to the Tran kings were subsequently built at the site, and successive generations of the dynasty returned there for seasonal rites. In 1989, the Tam Duong archaeological site was recognized as a National Historical and Cultural Relic.

Following restoration and preservation efforts, the festival at the Tran Kings’ temple complex in Tam Duong has been revived and is held annually from the 13th to the 17th day of the first lunar month in accordance with long-standing tradition.

Tran Temple Festival opens in Thai Binh

The Tran Temple Festival, one of the biggest annual spring ones in Vietnam, opened at the special national historical complex of the Tran Kings’ shrines and tombs in Tien Duc commune, Hung Ha district, the northern province of Thai Binh, on February 17 night (the 13th day of the first lunar month).