The northern province of Phu Tho held rituals on April 21 (the sixth day of the third lunar month) to commemorate the anniversary of the death of the nation’s legendary Great Father Lac Long Quan and pay an incense tribute to the Great Mother Au Co.
Nation’s legendary father, mother commemorated
Local leaders and people prayed for the country’s peace, solidarity, and firm protection of the nation’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over seas, islands, border areas, and its socio-economic development.
On the same day, the Hung Kings organising board- Hung Kings Temple Festival in 2018 concurrently organised activities such as displays of materials and artifacts, a photo exhibition, and art programme.
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 daughter of Heaven’s God De Lai, mother Au Co.
Au Co then gave birth to a pouch filled with one hundred eggs, which hatched into one hundred sons, believed to be Viet Nam’s ancestors. But soon after, Lac Long Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan travelled to the coast with 50 children, while Au Co went to the highlands with the other 50.
Their eldest son became King, naming the country Van Lang and establishing the capital in Phong Chau (nowadays Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province), to start the 18 reigns of the Hung Kings.
The worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings are closely related to the ancestral worshipping tradition of most Vietnamese families which forms an important part of people's spiritual lives.
The commemoration of Lac Long Quan, Au Co, and the Hung Kings is held annually at the Hung Kings Temple in Phu Tho province over the first days of the third lunar month, with the main activity organized on the 10th day.
Every year, millions of people flock to the Hung Kings Temple in Phu Tho for the Hung Kings Temple Festival.