Con Son-Kiep Bac Autumn Festival 2025: Enhancing the experience for visitors

The special national relic Con Son-Kiep Bac ( Hai Phong ) is the center of the sacred land of "Chi Linh Bat Co."

The richness of tangible cultural values combined with unique intangible cultural values expressed in festivals associated with relics is the reason this place attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.

The relic site includes two main areas: Con Son Pagoda and Kiep Bac Temple.

If Con Son Pagoda is known as the ancestral place of Truc Lam Zen sect and the place that marks the life of the world cultural celebrity Nguyen Trai, then Kiep Bac Temple is associated with the name of the national hero Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan with the feat of defeating the Yuan-Mongol invaders three times.

This place has a dangerous military position and favorable feng shui. During the Tran Dynasty, Tran Hung Dao established the Van Kiep headquarters, and together with the Tran Dynasty king and his subjects organized an army with the will to fight and win, crushing the expansionist intentions of the invading Yuan-Mongol empire.

Tran Hung Dao's real name is Tran Quoc Tuan, born in 1228, belonging to the royal family of the Tran Dynasty. In the 13th century, the Yuan-Mongol invaders invaded our country. Under the strategic command of Duke Tran Hung Dao, the army and people of Dai Viet were filled with the spirit of "Killing the Mongols" and defeated the brutal invaders three times, protecting the entire country's borders.

The name of Tran Hung Dao is associated with glorious victories in Dong Bo Dau, Ham Tu, Tay Ket, Chuong Duong, Van Kiep, Bach Dang Giang... and is forever the pride of the nation.

Not only known as a military genius, Tran Hung Dao also composed two books "Essentials of Military Strategy" and "The Secret Book of Van Kiep Tong" to teach contemporary generals how to lead troops to fight the enemy.

Typical of these was the Proclamation to the Soldiers which encouraged patriotism and hatred of the enemy, moving thousands of soldiers. Under the command of Tran Hung Dao, many talented generals gathered to assist the king and the country, including heroes such as Truong Han Sieu, Pham Ngu Lao, Nguyen Che Nghia, Yet Kieu, Da Tuong...

With such great merit, Tran Hung Dao was given the title Hung Dao Dai Vuong by the Tran kings and a temple was built for him while he was still alive in Van Kiep called "Sinh Tu." The retired emperor Tran Thanh Tong personally composed a stele praising the merits of Hung Dao Dai Vuong, called "Sinh Bi."

On August 20, Canh Ty year (1300), Hung Dao Dai Vuong passed away at Van Kiep palace. The royal court promoted Hung Dao Dai Vuong as Grand Master, Supreme Patriarch, Supreme Nation Public Man Vu Hung Dao Dai Vuong. The people of Dai Viet honored him as Saint Tran Cuu Thien Vu De and built a temple right on the foundation of the palace called Kiep Bac temple to commemorate Hung Dao Dai Vuong's contributions to the country.

Through many historical changes, the relics and traditional festivals in Con Son-Kiep Bac still retain their values and have special appeal.

The 2025 Con Son-Kiep Bac Autumn Festival, taking place from October 1-12 (ie from the 10th to the 21st of the 8th lunar month), is the first unique and typical traditional cultural event of Hai Phong city after the merger to commemorate the 725th death anniversary of National Hero Tran Hung Dao and the 583rd death anniversary of National Hero and World Cultural Celebrity Nguyen Trai.

Member of the Standing Committee of the Hai Phong City Party Committee, Head of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission of the Hai Phong City Party Committee Nguyen Quang Phuc delivered a concluding speech at the press conference. (Photo: Manh Tu/VNA)

At the press conference on the 2025 Con Son-Kiep Bac Autumn Festival in Hai Phong, Head of the Hai Phong City Party Committee's Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission, Head of the Festival Propaganda Subcommittee Nguyen Quang Phuc said that this year, the festival is on a larger scale with upgraded ritual and festival activities, increasing the experience for people and tourists.

The festival's activities aim to honor, promote and publicize the event of the Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son and Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscape Complex being recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage, contributing to raising awareness and responsibility of officials and people in practicing, preserving and promoting the values of national cultural heritage.

The event also aims to promote resources, tourism, trade, and service development of the Con Son-Kiep Bac relic site and the city; orienting the development of this place to become an international tourist area.

The focus of the festival is on October 7 (ie August 18 of the lunar calendar) with the 583rd death anniversary of National Hero, World Cultural Celebrity Nguyen Trai; the 725th death anniversary of National Hero Tran Hung Dao; the Autumn Festival opening in 2025 and welcoming and promoting the event of the Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son, Kiep Bac relic and landscape complex being recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site; the art program "Hai Phong - The quintessence of heritage land"; the opening ceremony of the seal of Saint Tran.

Director of the Hai Phong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tran Thi Hoang Mai said that the special feature of this year's festival is that along with traditional ceremonies, there are many attractive programs such as the Half Marathon (September 28) at the Con Son-Kiep Bac relic site; the 9-day Culture, Tourism and Trade Promotion Week.

14th-century Tran Dynasty architectural motifs at Con Son-Kiep Bac Relic Site (Hai Phong). (Photo: Tuan Anh/VNA)

On this occasion, the Department of Culture will announce 3 new tourist routes including a journey to 5 world heritage destinations, Following the footsteps of the Three Patriarchs of Truc Lam, and Exploring the World Heritage of Con Son-Kiep Bac.

At the Kiep Bac temple relic, the festival space is extended from the Kiep Bac temple's ceremonial gate to the Luc Dau river. The art program is staged combining performing arts, circus, and modern 3D mapping visual arts, recreating the glorious feats of arms and people of the Tran dynasty, especially of the National Duke and Commander-in-Chief Hung Dao Dai Vuong on the land of Van Kiep.

The Culture, Tourism and Trade Promotion Week has an expanded scale, taking place in 9 days with 15 booths, divided into 3 areas, 6 miniatures to display, introduce, promote culture, tourism, trade promotion, OCOP products, typical agricultural and handicraft products, craft villages, organize performances, promotions, introduce the process of making products for visitors to experience.

Mr. Le Duy Manh, Deputy Head of the Con Son-Kiep Bac Relic Management Board, said that in the coming time, the Management Board will continue to research to restore a number of rituals to enrich the festival activities. These include restoring the performance of Pham Nhan's beheading on Luc Dau River, organizing the ritual of running words at Nguyen Trai Temple, the ritual of worshiping the Medicine Buddha (which was recorded to have existed at Con Son Pagoda since the 17th century); honoring the unique cultural values of the city./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/le-hoi-mua-thu-con-son-kiep-bac-2025-tang-tinh-trai-nghiem-cho-du-khach-post1063671.vnp