Thousands flock to once-a-year Vieng Market for overnight spring fair

From early evening, roads leading to Vieng market are packed with people and vehicles, as swelling crowds stream in, creating a vibrant springtime scene that stretches for kilometers.

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Authorities have established a steering committee and an organising board to ensure unified and coordinated management of the festival, with public security and traffic safety identified as top priorities.

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According to the organising board, visitor numbers this year are expected to surge to between 700,000 and 800,000, compared with an average of around 400,000 in previous years. The sharp increase is placing greater demands on crowd management, traffic coordination, fire prevention and control, environmental sanitation, and oversight of commercial activities.

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The festival space stretches nearly six kilometres across Vu Ban and Hien Khanh communes, where visitors combine shopping at the market with offering incense at the Phu Day Relic Complex - the country’s largest Mother Goddess worship centre and the birthplace of the Vietnamese practice of Mother Goddess worship of the Three Realms.

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Young people stroll through the market, immersing themselves in the distinctive cultural atmosphere of this once-a-year overnight fair.

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Crowds streaming to Vieng Market create a vibrant spring tableau, rich in traditional folk culture and festive colour.

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Young families visit the market together, shopping and praying for good fortune at the start of the Lunar New Year.

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The tradition of “buying luck and selling misfortune” is deeply rooted in the spiritual culture of communities in Vietnam’s Red River Delta. Visitors purchase small items in the belief that they will bring good fortune for the year ahead while symbolically casting off the misfortunes of the past.

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Popular items, prized for their auspicious and feng shui symbolism, include ornamental plants, bonsai trees, fresh flowers, traditional farming tools and handcrafted artisanal products.

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Grilled veal, which is regarded locally as a symbol of “red luck” and prosperity, is sold throughout the night.

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Festivalgoers carefully select small potted plants to take home as symbolic spring blessings.

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Handcrafted goods, bamboo and rattan products, and local specialties such as peanut candy are widely showcased, helping promote certified OCOP (One Commune One Product) items to visitors from across the country.

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In the cool spring night, streams of visitors stroll leisurely through the market, picking out small items believed to bring good fortune. From seedlings and ornamental plants to farming tools, household goods and even second-hand objects, everything contributes to the distinctive charm of Vieng Market. For many, the first purchase of the year is less about material value than about sending a wish for peace, prosperity and smooth fortune in the months ahead.

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Visitors linger over antique and second-hand items on display at Vieng Market, hoping to “buy luck” for the year ahead while rediscovering echoes of the past in the timeless atmosphere of this once-a-year traditional fair.

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“Every year my family comes to Vieng Market with the hope of a peaceful and prosperous new year. We always buy some grilled veal and a few potted plants to bring home as tokens of good luck for the spring,” says Tung, a visitor from Hanoi.

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The market draws tens of thousands of people throughout the night, captivated by its deep-rooted cultural traditions and folk beliefs. Many believe that buying a “lucky item” at the start of the year will bring prosperity, peace and good health for the months ahead.