Ram (full-moon day) Thang Bay in Vietnamese, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival or Ullambana Festival (Vu Lan), is a traditional Buddhist festival taking place on the 14th to 15th of the seventh month in lunar calendar.

It is considered the second most significant event of the year in Vietnam, after Tet holiday, and is an occasion to give thanks and praise to parents and ancestors as well as to embrace the “wandering souls”, in other words, the “forsaken spirits”.

The Full Moon Day of the Lunar Seventh Month, which takes place on 15th August this year, is considered a taboo time according to the long-lasting traditional belief of the Vietnamese. The gates of hell open from the 1st to 14th so that hungry spirits are free for a short time before returning to the fiery depths on the 15th.

Buddhist followers and Vietnamese families often offer vegetarian meal including congee, salt, rice, among others and burn votive personal belongings and money to feed the destitute spirits or to help wandering souls find their way back home.

This kind of worship aims to avoid bad luck and bring peace to all family members.

On August 28, many families in Hanoi's Old Quarter made offerings and burned votive papers for the full moon day of the 7th lunar month.

It is believed that burning votive papers on the full moon day of the 7th lunar month will dispel bad things and welcome good things to the family.

Besides votive money, many families burned votive clothes, shoes and living tools for the dead.

A woman brought a furnace down to the roadside to burn votive papers on Nguyen Sieu Street.

Along Hang Ngang and Hang Dao streets, many votive paper furnaces were set up in front of stores.

Some people burned votive papers near electric poles, causing fear among many passersby.

Mr. Nam, the owner of a shop on Hang Dong Street, wrapped the motorbike in plastic before burning votive papers.




Minh Hoang