(BNP) - On the morning of May 26th, Son Dong commune held the opening ceremony of the 2026 An Chau Boat Racing Festival - a traditional festival associated with General Vi Duc Thang, one of the 18 founding meritorious officials of the Later Le Dynasty.
Deputy Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions of the province, Hoang Xuan Tung, presents flowers to congratulate the opening ceremony of the An Chau boat racing festival in 2026.
With a history spanning nearly 600 years, the festival holds significant spiritual and cultural value while also recreating the tradition of naval training and honoring the spirit of unity and patriotism of the people of the An Chau region. Notably, on December 10, 2024, the festival was officially recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The procession of the palanquin carrying the tutelary deity of the village takes place on the main festival day.
The main day of the festival features many traditional ceremonies such as the procession of the tutelary deity's palanquin, the procession of General Vi Duc Thang, the launching of boats, and boat racing competitions on the An Chau River.
Content of the women's boat racing competition at the festival.
This year's boat racing competition has 9 men's teams representing 33 villages participating, along with 3 women's teams in the finals. This was also the first year that women's boat racing was included in the festival. As a result, the team from Ha 1 village won first place in the men's category, and the team from Dinh village won first place in the women's category.
Content of the men's dragon boat race at the festival.
The festival was lively and safe, featuring many cultural and sporting activities and folk games, attracting a large number of people and tourists.
