This has been the sixth edition of the annual festival since Trang An Landscape Complex in the locality was recognised as the World Cultural And Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The ancient Bai Dinh pagoda, built thousands of years ago, is located on Bai Dinh Mountain and lies about 800m from the Tam The temple of the new Bai Dinh pagoda area.

According to the Vietnamese concept, the ancient Bai Dinh pagoda is located on an area regarded as a sacred land given it is the birth place of the eminent figures of the nation, including kings, saints and divinities.

The festival will take place until the end of the third lunar month.

The same day, a ceremony was held at the national relic site dedicated to national heroines - Trung Trac and Trung Nhi - in Hanoi to mark the 1980th anniversary of the uprising led by the Trung sisters.

On the sixth day of the second lunar month in 40 AD, the Trung sisters led a mass uprising against the Han invaders to reclaim national independence after more than 200 years of foreign rule.

The uprising has gone down in Vietnamese history as a demonstration of the nation's strength and patriotism, as well as the crucial role of Vietnamese women in national construction and defence./.VNA