Hung Kings Commemoration 2027 to boost tourism in ancestral land

Under a plan issued on October 24, 2026, the Phu Tho Provincial People’s Committee will organise activities in three phases - Origins, Convergence and Wide Reach, that are designed to connect the traditional festival season with visitor experiences, destination promotion and tourism stimulus programmes throughout 2027.

Building tourism on cultural heritage

Held annually on the 10th day of the third lunar month, Hung Kings Commemoration Day honours the Hung Kings, regarded as the legendary founders of the Vietnamese nation. In 2027, the main commemoration will fall on April 16, with the wider Hung Kings Temple Festival programme scheduled for April 7–16 in Phu Tho province.

As one of Vietnam’s major annual cultural events, the festival brings together traditional ceremonies, folk performances and activities celebrating the country’s ancestral heritage. The Worship of Hung Kings in Phu Tho was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.

Building on this heritage, Phu Tho plans to combine the festival’s traditional rituals with cultural performances and new visitor experiences under the Ancestral Land Tourism Year 2027. One highlight is a planned night-time tour at Hung Kings Temple featuring staged performances and music, designed to offer visitors a deeper engagement with the history and spiritual significance of the site.

A marathon scheduled for March, expected to attract 4,000–6,000 runners, will provide another way to connect the ancestral landscape with cultural and sporting tourism.

During the main festival period, incense-offering ceremonies and folk cultural activities will remain at the heart of the programme. Tourism promotion events and the Hung Kings Fair are also planned to showcase local products, connect businesses and encourage visitor spending. Together, these activities are intended to preserve the festival’s role as an occasion for ancestral remembrance while creating more opportunities for local tourism services and businesses.

Extending Phu Tho’s appeal throughout the year

Phu Tho’s tourism strategy extends beyond the April festival. Further activities planned through the end of 2027 will promote the province’s cuisine, landscapes and community-based tourism, giving visitors more reasons to explore the destination outside the main commemorative period.

The broader aim is to turn the province’s cultural heritage into a year-round tourism asset. By improving tourism products and services and strengthening links between destinations, Phu Tho hopes to attract a wider range of visitors and generate greater benefits for local businesses and communities.

The programme also seeks to promote patriotism and the Vietnamese tradition of remembering one’s origins, while preserving the Worship of Hung Kings in Phu Tho and other distinctive cultural traditions of the Ancestral Land. The challenge is to balance tourism development with the solemnity of the commemoration, ensuring that commercial activities complement rather than overshadow the festival’s cultural and spiritual significance.

By connecting ancestral heritage with more diverse visitor experiences, the Hung Kings Temple Festival and the Ancestral Land Tourism Year 2027 are expected to strengthen Phu Tho’s tourism appeal and support local economic development. The longer-term opportunity lies in turning the region’s cultural assets into sustainable value through better services, stronger destination links and year-round tourism offerings.

Tens of thousands offer incense at Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day

VOV.VN - Tens of thousands of residents and visitors offered incense at the Hung Kings Temple on April 26, the 10th day of the third lunar month, during the Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day 2026, in a solemn and reverent atmosphere.