Do Son buffalo fighting festival demonstrates the martial spirit of coastal people

On the morning of September 30, at the Central Stadium of Do Son Ward ( Hai Phong City), the VTV 2025 Do Son Traditional Buffalo Fighting Festival officially opened.

This year's festival has the participation of 16 buffaloes from Do Son ward and Nam Do Son ward.

After the rounds, buffalo number 06 of artisan Dinh Dinh Phu (91 years old, Do Son ward) won first prize.

Speaking at the festival, Mr. Nguyen Quang Dien, Chairman of the People's Committee of Do Son Ward, said that the Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival is a folk cultural activity, closely associated with spiritual and cultural life, demonstrating the martial spirit of the people of Do Son coastal area, with the aspiration to conquer nature, master the sea, and pray for "good weather, national peace and people's security", bountiful harvests, and a prosperous and happy life for the people.

Images of the traditional Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival - VTV 2025. (Photo: Hoang Ngoc / VNA)

This is a festival associated with the development of Do Son land and people throughout history.

According to Mr. Nguyen Quang Dien, the Do Son traditional buffalo fighting festival is the only festival among the "buffalo fighting festivals" nationwide that is allowed to be held annually by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

This is a great honor and at the same time a responsibility to preserve, conserve and develop the festival not only for Do Son, but also to contribute to the implementation of the Resolution of the 9th Central Committee, Session XI of the Party Central Committee on building and developing Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable national development.

According to the Organizing Committee, this is the first time the Do Son traditional buffalo fighting festival has been held right after the implementation of two-level local government and the first time it has been broadcast live on the VTV Go platform.

This year's festival is an activity that continues to affirm the inheritance, preservation and development of a national intangible cultural heritage recognized since 2012, and is also an outstanding cultural and tourism activity of Do Son in the autumn and winter.

Buffalo No. 06 of Artisan Dinh Dinh Phu, Do Son ward won first prize. (Photo: Hoang Ngoc/VNA)

Maris, a South African tourist, said she came to see the Buffalo Fighting Festival at the invitation of a friend living in Hai Phong. She had heard of the famous bullfighting festival in Spain, but this was the first time she had seen the Buffalo Fighting Festival. Although she did not know Vietnamese, through the dramatic and exciting matches and the cheers in the stadium, Maris believed that this was a very unique festival in Vietnam.

Mr. Dinh Duc Hai, a tourist from Hanoi, said he had watched the traditional Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival through the media, but this was the first time he had come to Hai Phong to watch it live. The atmosphere of the match was very dramatic and exciting, especially in the final match.

Watching it live helped him feel more clearly the generous and brave character in facing difficulties and challenges as well as the strong belief of the local people in the cultural and historical values of this unique festival./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/le-hoi-choi-trau-do-son-the-hien-tinh-than-thuong-vo-nguoi-dan-mien-bien-post1066043.vnp