Con Son - Kiep Bac Autumn Festival: A highlight to open space for cultural and tourism development in Hai Phong

Sacred historical mark

Con Son - Kiep Bac relic site (Chi Linh ward, Hai Phong city) includes a complex of relics related to the glorious victories of the Tran Dynasty in the 3 times the Mongol - Yuan army was defeated in the 13th century and the 10-year resistance war of the Lam Son army against the Ming army in the 15th century, establishing the Later Le dynasty. It is also a place associated with the life and career of national heroes such as Tran Hung Dao, Nguyen Trai and cultural celebrities of the nation such as Tran Nguyen Han, Tran Nguyen Dan, Phap Loa, Huyen Quang...

Con Son - Kiep Bac Autumn Festival: A highlight to open space for cultural and tourism development in Hai Phong -0 — Con Son Pagoda (Hai Phong)

The highlight of this relic site is Con Son Pagoda and Kiep Bac Temple. In which, Con Son Pagoda has the Chinese name "Thien Tu Phuc Tu", meaning the pagoda is blessed by heaven. The pagoda dates back to the Dinh Dynasty, in the first year of Khai Huu (1329), located at the foot of Con Son Mountain. Legend has it that this is the place where wood was burned to make charcoal and where the fire attack to quell the rebellion of 12 warlords of Dinh Bo Linh in the 10th century took place, so in addition to the name Con Son, the mountain is also called Ky Lan or Hun Mountain, and the pagoda "Thien Tu Phuc Tu".

In the folk, the mountain is known as Con Son or Hun Pagoda, which still preserves many valuable relics and artifacts. When talking about Con Son, it is impossible not to mention the name of Nguyen Trai, a great military man, culturalist, and thinker of the nation. Because Con Son is the place where he retired from office to settle down in his old age and left behind immortal poems. Since 2000, Nguyen Trai Temple has been built at the foot of Ngu Nhac Mountain, located in Thanh Hu Dong area.

Kiep Bac is the combined name of two villages, Van Yen (Kiep village) and Duoc Son (Bac village), located in a fertile valley, surrounded by the Dragon mountain range. In the 13th century, this was the military base and palace of Tran Hung Dao, the supreme military commander in the resistance war against the Yuan-Mongol invaders.

Tran Hung Dao Temple was built in the early 14th century, on a plot of land in the center of Kiep Bac valley, recognized as a place of great historical, cultural and spiritual value in the spiritual life of local people, attracting the attention of many tourists from all over.

Kiep Bac Temple is also a work of the most important heritage significance in the Vietnamese heritage treasure. In addition to the above works, the Con Son - Kiep Bac complex also has a temple to worship two great mandarins of the Later Le Dynasty, Tran Nguyen Han and Tran Nguyen Dan, along with many other cultural and historical works.

In 2010, the Prime Minister approved the master plan for conservation of the Con Son - Kiep Bac complex in association with tourism development. In 2012, Con Son - Kiep Bac was recognized as a special national monument. Most recently, on July 12, 2025, along with Yen Tu (Quang Ninh) and Vinh Nghiem Pagoda (Bac Ninh), the Con Son - Kiep Bac complex was recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage.

With the above historical and cultural values, Con Son - Kiep Bac deserves to be one of the special highlights, preserving the national cultural identity. Every year, it has become a tradition that the Con Son - Kiep Bac autumn festival is solemnly held on the occasion of the death anniversary of the National Duke, Commander-in-Chief, Hung Dao Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan.

Opening up new development space

According to Head of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department of Hai Phong City Party Committee Nguyen Quang Phuc, this year's Con Son - Kiep Bac autumn festival has special significance as it is associated with many important historical and cultural events. Specifically, it commemorates the 725th death anniversary of National Hero Tran Hung Dao and the 583rd death anniversary of World Cultural Celebrity Nguyen Trai.

Notably, the festival will officially announce the Yen Tu – Vinh Nghiem – Con Son – Kiep Bac relic and scenic complex to be recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage. The festival is held on the largest scale ever, lasting for 12 days from October 1 to 12.

Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Phong, Tran Thi Hoang Mai, said that the festival is the first typical traditional cultural event of Hai Phong City after the merger. The ceremonial and festival activities are conducted solemnly, in accordance with traditional rituals, and the festival space is also expanded. In particular, the rituals and festival activities are upgraded in terms of scale, procession, synchronous organization, linked with promoting the city's image, expanding tour - route connections with destinations inside and outside the region.

At the Kiep Bac relic site, the festival space is extended from the Kiep Bac temple gate to Luc Dau river. The art program is staged combining modern and magnificent performing arts, singing, dancing, circus and 3D mapping-layer mapping visual arts... recreating the glorious feats of the Tran dynasty, especially of Hung Dao Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan on Van Kiep land. At the same time, it propagates and promotes the outstanding global values of the 5 component relics of the World Heritage in the western area of Hai Phong as well as the typical and unique cultural values of Hai Phong city.

The highlight of the festival from October 7 (August 16 of the lunar calendar) includes a series of activities: the 583rd death anniversary of national hero and world cultural celebrity Nguyen Trai; the 725th death anniversary of national hero Tran Hung Dao and the opening of the Con Son - Kiep Bac autumn festival in 2025; 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 Cultural Heritage...

Hai Phong City plans to invite about 7,000 delegates, including leaders of the Party and State; central ministries and branches; the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO; experts and scientists; international delegates; embassies of several countries; Head of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam... along with the participation of local people and tourists from all over.

In addition, Hai Phong City also organized a Culture - Tourism and Trade Promotion Week, displaying and introducing OCOP products, typical agricultural and handicraft products, traditional craft villages, unique cuisine; performing, exchanging cultural and artistic works, folk arts... and many other typical activities. Regarding tourism promotion activities, the Organizing Committee built a program to introduce new tourism products according to 3 themes: Experience tour "A journey of 5 destinations to World Heritage"; Experience tour "Following the footsteps of the Three Patriarchs of Truc Lam" and Tour "Discovering the Heritage of Con Son, Kiep Bac".

Ms. Tran Thi Hoang Mai added that although the weather this year was not favorable, before and during the festival, Hai Phong was affected by 3 consecutive storms (9, 10 and 11), the Organizing Committee has been making every effort to prepare the content and programs, ensuring the best conditions for the festival to take place successfully, contributing to opening up a new development space for Hai Phong City.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Chuyen-dong-van-hoa/le-hoi-mua-thu-con-son--kiep-bac-diem-nhan-mo-khong-gian-phat-trien-van-hoa-du-lich-hai-phong-i783955/