Few folk festivals in Vietnam reflect a cultural convergence as clearly as the Thap Ba Ponagar Festival (also known as the Via Ba Festival) in Khanh Hoa Province.

This celebration honors the Holy Mother Thien Y Ana, who is revered by the Cham people as the Mother of the Land.

It is a time for people to reconnect with their roots, uphold valuable cultural traditions for future generations, and foster solidarity among ethnic communities across central Vietnam.

Thap Ba is a complex of towers built by the ancient Cham at the mouth of the Cai River where it flows into Nha Trang Bay, dating back to the 11th century.

For nearly 300 years, Vietnamese residents in Nha Trang have embraced the towers and inherited the Cham matriarchal worship tradition, transforming it into their own Mother Goddess veneration site.

Mother worship was deeply rooted in ancient Cham culture. As it merged with Vietnamese culture, the Thap Ba Festival developed a unique character, becoming a rare and precious cultural heritage of Vietnam.

According to Che Diem Tram, a Cham researcher in Nha Trang, the Ponagar tower complex was largely abandoned for centuries in its early days.

The devastation of various wars left it in ruins, like many other tower sites scattered across central Vietnam from Quang Nam to Binh Thuan.

However, in Nha Trang, this particular site retained a powerful cultural influence, shaping local customs, traditions, and even geography.

In the past, the area surrounding the towers was inhabited by Vietnamese coastal fishers who, along with the Cham, held rituals there.

The Cham offered prayers to their deities while the Vietnamese performed "hat bong" singing, giving rise to the name "Cau Xom Bong" - the bridge at the base of the towers that still exists today.

After 1975, the towers were partially restored by archaeologists, bringing back some of their original color and form.

Thap Ba Ponagar has since become one of central Vietnam’s most prominent historical and cultural landmarks, attracting large numbers of visitors year-round and generating significant revenue for the local economy.

During the festival, the complex becomes a vibrant cultural hub. Vietnamese visitors offer incense inside the main tower, while Cham pilgrims place offerings of fruits, sticky rice, and rice wine in the courtyard.

According to Cham customs, ordinary people do not enter the sanctuary, which is reserved for the spiritual leaders - the high priest, the female ritualist, and the temple guardian.

In recent years, the traditional art forms of "hat bong" and "chau van" have been revived. During the three-day festival, hundreds of spiritual performance troupes from surrounding areas gather to perform, filling the atmosphere with music and devotion.

Cultural researchers note that the Thap Ba Ponagar Festival reflects the distinct coastal Vietnamese version of Mother Goddess worship, differing from other Cham religious festivals such as Kate (practiced by Cham followers of Brahmanism) or Ramuwan (celebrated by Cham Muslims of the Bani sect).

As a result, the Thap Ba Ponagar Festival stands out as a culturally rich and captivating event for both locals and tourists.

PV