Traditional rituals and a line-up of cultural activities are included in the Kinh Duong Vuong festival, which opened at the historical Kinh Duong Vuong-Lac Long Quan-Au Co temple and royal tomb complex in Thuan Thanh district, in the northern province of Bac Ninh on February 23.
The three-day festival aims to honour Kinh Duong Vuong - the first king of the Vietnamese people and founder of the Hong Bang Dynasty, uphold the nation’s cultural tradition and enhance solidarity among Vietnamese people.
On the same day, the National Archives Centre IV presented Thuan Thanh district with the Nguyen dynasty’s woodblock writings about Kinh Duong Vuong.
Kinh Duong Vuong ruled over Xich Quy in 2,879 B.C. Legend has it that Lac Long Quan (whose real name was Sung Lam), the son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu, married the fairy daughter of De Lai, Au Co. Au Co then gave birth to a pouch filled with one hundred eggs, which soon hatched into a hundred sons, believed to be Viet Nam's ancestors. But soon thereafter, Lac Long Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coast with 50 of the children, while Au Co went to the highlands with the rest.
Their eldest son was made King, who named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (nowadays Viet Tri City, in the northern midland province of Phu Tho), beginning the 18 reigns of the Hung Kings.
Kinh Duong Vuong temple and tomb complex was constructed on the southern bank of the Duong river. With significant historical and cultural values, the complex was recognised as a national historical and cultural relic site in 1993.
The province has splashed out nearly 500 billion VND (22.3 million USD) on restoring and preserving the complex.