Up to eight million people flocked to northern Phu Tho province to celebrate t he annual Hung Kings Temple festival, said the organising board.

Scene at the Hung King Temples festival.

From the evening of April 15 to April 16 (the ninth and tenth day of the third lunar month) when the festival was in full swing, tourist arrivals at the site of Hung Kings Temple surpassed 2.5 million.

On April 17, the site still saw between 250,000 and 30,000 visitors coming to offer incense.

According to the board, this year’s festival was held successfully and efficiently, leaving generally positive impression on visitors. Hundreds of personnel and volunteers were deployed to maintain security and tidy up after tourists.

The Hung Kings founded the first nation in the history of Vietnam, called Van Lang, in Phong Chau, now Phu Tho province. Ruling the country through 18 generations (2879–258 BC), the Hung Kings taught locals how to grow wet rice. They chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for lush crops.

To honour their great history, a complex of temples dedicated to them was built on Nghia Linh Mountain, and the tenth day of the third lunar month serves as the national commemorative anniversary for the kings.

The worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings was recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.

VNA