What is Hien Quan Phet Festival and when does it take place?
Hien Quan Phet Festival is a traditional festival of the people of Hien Quan commune, Phu Tho province (before July 2025 in Tam Nong district, Phu Tho province), held on the 12th and 13th of the first lunar month annually at Hien Quan communal house and temple1. This festival honors the merits of Thieu Hoa Cong Chua, a female general recorded in legend as having recruited soldiers to help the Trung Sisters fight the Han invaders1.
According to customs recorded in sources, the festival includes four parts: palanquin procession, worship, troop march, and phet grabbing12. Among these, phet grabbing is a unique highlight, attracting the largest crowds, but also causing much controversy over safety and order in recent years2.
Why is Hien Quan Phet Festival associated with Thieu Hoa Cong Chua?
Legend says Thieu Hoa Cong Chua was born on the 2nd day of the first lunar month in the year of Quy Ty in a poor family in Dong Lang Xuong, Thanh Chuong district (now Thanh Thuy district, Phu Tho), Hung Hoa region1. After her parents passed away, she left Dong Lang Xuong to seek Buddhist practice, choosing Phuc Khanh Pagoda in Song Quan village as her place of worship1. When the country was invaded, she joined the army under the Trung Sisters' flag1.
It is said that to train soldiers, she devised a game using bamboo roots carved into round shapes: large ones called phet, smaller ones called chui, then divided troops to play phet, meaning two sides tried to get the phet or chui out of a defined area1. After winning the battle and peace returned, she asked to return to Song Quan village (now Hien Quan commune) to continue practicing and teaching people farming and living1. When she passed away, villagers, following the king's decree, honored her as Duc Thanh Mau Dai Vuong and built a temple to remember her merits1.
According to Bao Van Hoa, the festival also honors another village deity, Moc Trang Dai Vuong from the Dinh dynasty, credited with quelling the 12 warlords2. It should be noted that these are folk legends, not historical events verified by archaeological or contemporary documents.
How do the four parts of the festival take place?
According to sources from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Bao Van Hoa, the four parts have the following sequence and details12:
| Part | Time | Content | Still held or suspended per sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palanquin procession | From 12:00 on the 12th of the first lunar month | Palanquins carrying edicts, tablets, phet, and chui from the communal house to the temple, escorted by soldiers. Edicts, tablets, phet, and chui are kept in the forbidden chamber of the village communal house from the 10th day of the 10th lunar month | Still held (2025 source notes the procession at 13:00) |
| Worship | After the palanquin procession | Mr. Tien Chi and village elders perform the rituals; Mr. Ban Thuong reads the oration; Mr. Tien Chi reads the petition for peace; offerings of sticky rice with chicken, banh chung, banh day to the sages; after three rounds of wine, move to the troop march | Still held |
| Troop march | After three rounds of wine | Two groups of male and female soldiers in golden armor, conical hats, leg wraps, holding long swords and flags; each group led by an elder in a golden loincloth, red headband, holding a nheo flag; drummers beat to the rhythm; they perform three circles then gather in the temple yard | Still held |
| Phet grabbing (phet tossing) | After the troop march | Young men split into two teams trying to grab and get the phet or chui out of the defined area to win. The phet is about 6-7cm in diameter, the chui about 4-5cm | Suspended since 2019 |
Why has the phet ball not been tossed since 2019?
Bao Van Hoa reports that since 2019, the festival has not included the phet tossing2. Some years were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, while others were due to incomplete scripts and safety factors2. Specifically, as the festival scale expanded, Hien Quan Phet Festival could not ensure safety in the phet tossing, with times showing many images of chaotic grabbing and pushing, creating a distorted view of the festival's traditional values2.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in 2023, the Tam Nong District People's Committee assigned the Department of Culture and Information to work with the Hien Quan Commune People's Committee and inspect festival preparations, especially the phet tossing which did not ensure safety and security conditions1. The phet field was held in a rice field area (Dong Dam area) that was waterlogged for planting, causing mud, the phet tossing plan was not specific, and the protection force for the phet field was inadequate1. The Tam Nong District People's Committee agreed to organize the 2023 festival according to the local plan, focusing on rituals and cultural, artistic, and sports activities, but not organizing the phet tossing, in accordance with Decree No. 110/2018/ND-CP1.
Mr. Luu Van Hieu, Secretary of the Hien Quan Commune Party Committee, said that before Tet, water overflowed into the battle field, causing much mud, not ensuring festival safety1. The Hien Quan Commune People's Committee met with residents and decided to stop the phet tossing ritual at the 2023 festival1. He also stated that no resident has ever been injured by the phet ball during the festival, and any scuffles among people from various localities attending the festival are the responsibility of organizing propaganda and preventive measures1.
What do locals and authorities say about the suspension?
In the seventh year without the phet tossing, a reporter from Bao Van Hoa at the Hien Quan Phet Festival in Spring At Ty 2025 noted a solemn, reverent, peaceful atmosphere mixed with concerns and worries2. Many residents expressed sadness that the phet tossing has not returned, due to insufficient safety conditions2.
Mr. Bui Khanh, a native of Hien Quan village, shared that the festival is the pride of the villagers, educating patriotism, pride, national self-respect, and the indomitable tradition of Vietnamese people in nation-building and defense2. He said not holding the phet tossing for many festival seasons is a concern for villagers, and the prolonged absence makes them deeply regretful2.
Mr. Nguyen Tien Nhan, chosen by villagers to play the role of Mr. Tien Chi in the Spring At Ty 2025 festival, said the seventh year without phet tossing leaves villagers thoughtful, and the wish of Hien Quan residents is for local authorities to soon complete necessary conditions to reorganize the phet tossing2.
Mr. Tran Kim Tuyen, Secretary of the Hien Quan Commune Party Committee, said local authorities are concerned about the people's wishes2. However, organizing the phet tossing cannot rely solely on the commune's responsibility; it needs support from district and provincial levels and socialized resources2. He noted that today the phet festival is not just for Hien Quan residents but for many people and tourists from everywhere eager to attend, so organizing it requires ensuring all safety conditions, scientific scripts, phet field area, and infrastructure2. He expressed hope that in the coming time, with careful and methodical preparation, the phet tossing in the 2026 Hien Quan festival will take place2.
Scientific workshop in 2024 and proposal for heritage title
Preparing for the 2025 Hien Quan Phet Festival, in December 2024, the Phu Tho Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism coordinated with the Tam Nong District People's Committee to hold a scientific workshop "Hien Quan Phet Festival - awareness, values, and management and organization solutions"2. At the workshop, managers, cultural researchers, and representatives of generations from Hien Quan commune and Tam Nong district contributed ideas to find solutions for better organizing the phet festival, ensuring traditional rituals and promoting the festival's values2.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Ngoc, Vice President of the Vietnam Historical Science Association, assessed that Hien Quan Phet Festival is one of the festivals reenacting the most glorious and heroic history of the Vietnamese nation, taking place nearly 2,000 years ago2. He proposed that the festival should be listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage and preserved and promoted according to the Law on Cultural Heritage2. He also expressed concern that since 2019, due to organizational shortcomings, Hien Quan Phet Festival has not held the phet tossing, and organizing the workshop to find solutions is very necessary and urgent2.
According to reviewed sources, as of the publication of these articles, the festival is not in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Ngoc's proposal is a researcher's recommendation at the workshop, not a recognition decision by competent state agencies.
Some notes on the relic and cultural values
The system of communal houses, temples, and pagodas in Hien Quan commune worshipping Thieu Hoa Cong Chua is recognized as a National Historical-Cultural Relic1. This is the legal basis for preserving, restoring, and promoting the relic's values, and for linking the festival to a specific tangible cultural space.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the tradition of Hien Quan Phet Festival has been maintained for over a thousand years, even during wartime, to honor and express martial spirit, remembering the great merits of female general Thieu Hoa and her generals and soldiers1. The festival also educates patriotism, pride, national self-respect, and the indomitable tradition in nation-building and defense1.
Hien Quan Phet Festival is one of the destinations in the heritage tourism tour of three provinces Phu Tho, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai, contributing to reviewing the tradition of national struggle and defense and expressing the moral principle of "remembering the source when drinking water"1.
Points to note when learning about Hien Quan Phet Festival
First, the entire story of Thieu Hoa Cong Chua and her founding of the phet game is folk legend, not historical events verified by archaeological or contemporary documents. Sources from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Bao Van Hoa present it as legend and tradition12.
Second, regarding administrative place names: the collected sources all record Hien Quan commune, Tam Nong district, Phu Tho province according to administrative units before July 1, 2025. After July 1, 2025, the country has 34 provinces and cities and no district level according to Resolution 202/2025/QH15 and the Law on Local Government Organization 72/2025/QH15. Current sources do not record new commune or ward names after rearrangement, so the article keeps old names with time markers to avoid incorrect speculation.
Third, regarding 2026 information: Mr. Tran Kim Tuyen expressed hope that the 2026 phet tossing will take place2, but this is a statement of aspiration, not an official announcement. News about 2026 is mixed and unconfirmed by official sources, so the article does not assert whether 2026 will have phet tossing.
Fourth, regarding heritage title: according to all reviewed sources, the festival is not in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Ngoc's proposal to list it is a recommendation at the December 2024 scientific workshop2, not a recognition decision by competent authorities. Readers should distinguish between National Historical-Cultural Relic (recognized for the communal house, temple, and pagoda system in Hien Quan commune1) and National Intangible Cultural Heritage title (not yet recognized for the festival).
Fifth, regarding figures: the phet is about 6-7cm in diameter, the chui about 4-5cm according to Bao Van Hoa in 20252. These are estimates in the article and may vary depending on each phet made in each festival season.
