A festival commemorating the 224th death anniversary of peasant hero Hoang Cong Chat opened in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien on April 4.
Started in 1994, the Ban Phu Citadel - Hoang Cong Chat Temple Festival annually takes place from the 24th to 25th day of the second lunar month in Ban Phu Citadel, Noong Het commune.
The festival, the largest in Dien Bien province, features a wide range of cultural, artistic and sports activities, including a palanquin procession, incense offering, art performances and a show of traditional costumes of local ethnic groups, including Thai, H'Mong, Kho Mu, Lu and Lao.
Many folk games and a cooking contest are also held during the two-day event.
The Ban Phu Citadel was built between 1758 and 1762 by Hoang Cong Toan, the son of Hoang Cong Chat, who led local people in the movement to protect the northwestern villages from the occupation of the Phe invaders from China in the 18th century.
The Ban Phu Citadel - Hoang Cong Chat Temple, which was twice recognised as a national historical and culture relic site in 1981 and 1994, has not only become an important cultural and spiritual destination for ethnic minorities in Dien Bien province but also an attraction for Vietnamese and foreign tourists.