Nghinh Ong Festival, an event for fishermen to show their respect for the whale and gratitude for a bumper catch, will return to Can Gio district of Ho Chi Minh City in October with a bigger scale.

Dancers perform at Nghinh Ong Festival in HCM City’s Can Gio district.

The Nghinh Ong Festival in Can Gio will take place in the coastal town of Can Thanh on October 3-5, which falls on the 14th-16th days of the eighth month of the lunar calendar.

The festival will be held at the municipal level with its location to be renovated and expanded.

There will be a series of rituals and festive activities during the event, including a pilgrimage to Rung Sac (Sac Forest) War Martyrs Cemetery to remember soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country, a rite to pay tribute to founders of the land and a ceremony for local fishermen to celebrate the bumper catch. 

The organisers will host exhibitions showcasing photos and objects of the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve and fishing activities of local fishermen, and arrange a cuisine street to introduce specialties of the coastal district.

The festival will also feature a procession at sea and from the sea to Ong Thuy Tuong Temple (Temple Worshiping the Whale), a release of lanterns to the sea, folk games, lion dances and other traditional performances.

According to Chairman of the district’s People’s Committee Le Minh Dung, the festival expects to attract about 100,000 visitors this year.

The Nghinh Ong Festival in Can Gio was regconised as National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013 and is the only traditional festival of local fishermen.

VNA