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Currently, in Ha Giang province, there are many ethnic groups that still maintain forest worshiping ceremonies such as the Nung ethnic group, Pu Peo ethnic group, Dao ethnic group, La Chi ethnic group, H’mong ethnic group..., particularly the Forest Worshiping Ceremony of the Nung ethnic group in Hoang Su Phi.

The Nung people believe that the God of the Forest is considered a sacred deity that protects villagers in daily life.

Every year, on the 2nd day of the second lunar month, the Nung people in Po Lo commune (Hoang Su Phi) organize "Mo Dong Tru" or the forest worship ceremony in a temple on top of the mountain in the forbidden forest of Thu Mung village. The offerings to the God of the Forest include pigs, chickens and wine.

Besides the religious meaning, this ritual has a very profound humanistic meaning, which is to educate love for nature, awareness of forest protection, and protection of the living environment around the human.

The forest worshiping ceremony of the Nung ethnic group in Hoang Su Phi district has been maintained for a long time, originating from Nung legends which tell that in the past the Nung clans in Hoang Su Phi lived peacefully on the mountain slopes. One day, the Northern King sent troops to invade to take over the Nung people’s land and wealth. After many days of fighting with the enemy, the Nung ethnic groups were defeated so they had to bring their wealth, pigs, chickens and buffaloes and retreat into the forests.

Being besieged by the enemy for many days, they lacked of drinking water, so many Nung people and livestock died. At this time, the leader of the Nung people, Hoang Van Thung, after fighting bravely with the enemy was injured and died. To show their condolences to this man, people slaughtered buffalos for meat, used buffalo blood to replace water to cook rice as offerings and prayed to Han Hung, the heavenly king, for help and blessings.

Moved by the solidarity and fighting spirit of the Nung ethnic groups, Han Hung sent troops to help eliminate the enemy and bring a peaceful life to the people here. To commemorate their leader, the Nung clans reserved lush old forests with beautiful locations as sacred places to set up a shrine and honor him as Dong Tru (i.e. God of the Forest).

Since then, every year in February and July, Nung villages in communes in Hoang Su Phi district hold ceremonies to worship Hoang Van Thung for his sacrifice to help the villagers. Over the years, this custom has been maintained until today in villages to commemorate ancestors, pray for the village and families to be prosperous, happy, and have good harvests, and at the same time remind young people the traditional cultural history of their people.

According to legend, the Nung people in Po Lo, San Xa Ho, Po Ly Ngai communes (Hoang Su Phi district, Ha Giang province) were allowed to slaughter buffaloes to worship because they believed that these were the places where people had previously slaughtered buffaloes to make lunch to treat Han Hung's troops, while the remaining communes were only allowed to slaughter pigs or chickens to make breakfast to treat.

Among the above communes, Po Lo holds the largest worshiping ceremony with the participation of Nung ethnic households living in villages within the commune and villages in Then Chu Phin commune and Vinh Quang town.

According to the custom that exists in the Nung community here, every three years people will hold the main ceremony and they will slaughter buffaloes, pigs, and chickens, and in the remaining years, only pigs and chickens will be slaughtered.

The worshiping ceremony for the forest god is regulated on a rotating basis. Each village must contribute 4 live chickens, wine and a 50kg black pig to slaughter for the worshiping ceremony, in addition to adding incense and money made from straw or do paper. In the main year when buffalos are slaughtered, all families in the commune must contribute money to buy the buffalos. "The buffaloes used for worship must be not too young or not be too old. The buffalo must be fat and healthy and the buffalo at about 3 years old is best," said a village chief in Hoang Su Phi.

In the early morning of the day of the worshiping ceremony, each household in the entire commune is usually represented by a man, bringing offerings to the forbidden forest including one liter of wine, one stack of ban paper, one bundle of incense, together with a knife for kitchen work and a cup, a bowl, and a pair of chopsticks. Four large pots used for cooking will be brought as assigned by the village chief. Those who bring these pots will be paid rice by the village after each crop.

In the sacred space of the forbidden forest, everyone participating in the rituals must comply with the regulations: No swearing, no spitting, no defecation, not drink too much alcohol.

There is an absolute taboo for women and children not to set foot in the forbidden forest during the worshiping process. Everything from preparing ceremonies and preparing food are all done by men. After the ceremony, the celebrant, elders, and village heads in the commune will enjoy the cooked dishes in advance, while the remaining meat will be processed into dishes to serve everyone.

The forest god worshiping ceremony of ethnic groups living in Hoang Su Phi district is an important spiritual cultural activity, expressing a sense of respect and gratitude to the gods, heaven and earth, ancestors. The forest worshiping ceremony is imbued with the farming culture, expressing the desire to be blessed and protected so that crops and livestock and poultry will always grow well and not be damaged by natural disasters, diseases, or pests. This is also an opportunity for households to exchange thoughts and feelings, thereby enhancing and consolidating the spirit of community, neighborhood, and village solidarity among the people.

The forest worshiping ceremony is also one of the beauties in the field of environmental resource protection. According to the regulations of villages with forbidden forests, all organizations and individuals in the community must be responsible for restoring and developing forbidden forests. Those who violate will be fined according to the village rules. It is this custom, along with effective management by the community, that encourages people to protect forests and live in harmony with nature.

With that good humanistic meaning, the Mo Dong Tru - forest worshiping ceremony of the Nung people in Po Lo commune has been certified by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016. This is not only a motivation for the Nung people of Hoang Su Phi district to preserve their national identity, but also helps Po Lo commune, Hoang Su Phi district do a better job of propaganda, raising awareness of care, management and protection of local forests.