What Is Hùng Kings' Commemoration Day?
Hùng Kings' Commemoration Day, also called the National Ancestral Rite or Đền Hùng Festival, falls on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month each year at the Đền Hùng historical relic site in Việt Trì city, Phú Thọ province. It is among the most solemn national observances in Vietnam, drawing descendants from every corner of the country and overseas Vietnamese communities to honor the founding achievements of the Hùng Kings, regarded as the primordial ancestors of the Vietnamese people.
The Legend of Lạc Long Quân, Âu Cơ, and the Hùng Kings
According to legend passed down through generations, Lạc Long Quân, son of the Dragon Lady, of dragon lineage, married Âu Cơ, daughter of Đế Lai, of fairy lineage. Âu Cơ gave birth to a sac containing one hundred eggs, which hatched into one hundred children. Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ later parted ways: fifty children followed their mother to the mountains, and fifty followed their father to the sea, each group settling and cultivating the land. The eldest son who stayed with his mother was crowned king, taking the title Hùng Vương, naming the land Văn Lang, and establishing his capital at Phong Châu (in present-day Phú Thọ), beginning the era of the Hùng Kings, who by traditional reckoning ruled through eighteen generations.
Though legendary in character, the story of the "Dragon and Fairy descendants" and the Hùng King era align with archaeological evidence of the Đông Sơn civilization, reflecting the formative period of early statehood and wet-rice culture among the ancient Vietnamese in the Red River Delta and midlands. For Vietnamese people, this story is not merely myth but a sacred symbol of shared origin, binding all Vietnamese together under the term "đồng bào" (compatriots), those born of the same womb.
Origins of the 10th-Day-of-the-3rd-Month Observance
The custom of worshipping the Hùng Kings in the Phong Châu region of Phú Thọ dates back many generations, but a single nationwide commemoration date was only formally established in the early 20th century. In 1917, under Emperor Khải Định's reign, the governor of Phú Thọ, Lê Trung Ngọc, submitted a petition to the Ministry of Rites requesting that the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month each year be designated a national observance day for rites at Đền Hùng, aligning it with the commemoration of the 18th Hùng King already observed by local residents.
The Vietnamese state later reaffirmed the day's importance: from 2001, Hùng Kings' Commemoration Day was officially recognized as the nation's ancestral rite; and in 2007, the National Assembly designated the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month an official nationwide public holiday, giving all citizens the chance to turn toward their common origin. In 2012, the "Worship of Hùng Kings in Phú Thọ" was recognized by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, acknowledging the unique value of a shared national ancestor-worship tradition, a rare phenomenon worldwide.
Rites at Đền Hùng
The Đền Hùng relic complex sits on Nghĩa Lĩnh Mountain, comprising several temples built across different eras, Đền Hạ, Đền Trung, Đền Thượng, Đền Giếng, and the Hùng Kings' Mausoleum. During the commemoration, the most important rites are the palanquin procession and the incense-offering ceremony at Đền Thượng, where tradition holds the Hùng Kings once performed rites to heaven and earth, praying for favorable weather. Processions from surrounding communes, bearing flags, flowers, and traditional offerings such as square sticky-rice cakes (bánh chưng) and round glutinous rice cakes (bánh giầy), march solemnly up the mountain. Alongside the rites, a lively festival unfolds with folk cultural activities such as Xoan singing (a UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage native to the Hùng Kings' homeland), rice-cake wrapping contests, tug-of-war, and wrestling, drawing millions of pilgrims each year.
Significance for the Vietnamese Nation
Hùng Kings' Commemoration Day is not merely a religious or local observance, it has become a symbol of national unity and the profound Vietnamese ethic of "drinking water, remembering its source." The folk verse "Whoever travels near or far, remember the Commemoration Day on the tenth of the third month" has become a familiar reminder, deeply embedded across generations, affirming that no matter where they are or what they do, all children of Vietnam always turn toward one shared origin.
