TL;DR: Hiền Quan Phet Festival is held on the 12th and 13th of the first lunar month at Hiền Quan communal house and temple in Hiền Quan commune, Phú Thọ province (before July 2025 in Tam Nông district), with four customary parts: palanquin procession, worship, troop march, and phet grabbing. The festival honors Thiều Hoa Cong Chua, a legendary female general who helped the Trung Sisters, and Mộc Trang Đại Vuong according to Báo Văn Hoa. Since 2019, the phet tossing has not been held due to unmet conditions for safety, security, and the phet field infrastructure. According to reviewed sources, the festival is not yet in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
What is Hiền Quan Phet Festival and when does it take place?
Hiền Quan Phet Festival is a traditional festival of the people of Hiền Quan commune, Phú Thọ province (before July 2025 in Tam Nông district, Phú Thọ province), held on the 12th and 13th of the first lunar month annually at Hiền Quan communal house and temple[1]. This festival honors the merits of Thiều Hoa Cong Chua, a female general recorded in legend as having recruited soldiers to help the Trung Sisters fight the Han invaders[1].
According to customs recorded in sources, the festival includes four parts: palanquin procession, worship, troop march, and phet grabbing[1][2]. Among these, phet grabbing is a unique highlight, attracting the largest crowds, but also causing much controversy over safety and order in recent years[2].
Why is Hiền Quan Phet Festival associated with Thiều Hoa Cong Chua?
Legend says Thiều Hoa Cong Chua was born on the 2nd day of the first lunar month in the year of Quý Tỵ in a poor family in Động Lăng Xương, Thanh Chương district (now Thanh Thủy district, Phú Thọ), Hưng Hóa region[1]. After her parents passed away, she left Động Lăng Xương to seek Buddhist practice, choosing Phúc Khánh Pagoda in Song Quan village as her place of worship[1]. When the country was invaded, she joined the army under the Trung Sisters' flag[1].
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 area[1]. After winning the battle and peace returned, she asked to return to Song Quan village (now Hiền Quan commune) to continue practicing and teaching people farming and living[1]. When she passed away, villagers, following the king's decree, honored her as Đức Thánh Mẫu Đại Vương and built a temple to remember her merits[1].
According to Báo Văn Hoa, the festival also honors another village deity, Mộc Trang Đại Vuong from the Dinh dynasty, credited with quelling the 12 warlords[2]. 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 Báo Văn Hoa, the four parts have the following sequence and details[1][2]:
| 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. Tiên Chỉ and village elders perform the rituals; Mr. Bàn Thượng reads the oration; Mr. Tiên Chỉ 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?
Báo Văn Hoa reports that since 2019, the festival has not included the phet tossing[2]. Some years were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, while others were due to incomplete scripts and safety factors[2]. Specifically, as the festival scale expanded, Hiền 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 values[2].
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in 2023, the Tam Nông District People's Committee assigned the Department of Culture and Information to work with the Hiền Quan Commune People's Committee and inspect festival preparations, especially the phet tossing which did not ensure safety and security conditions[1]. The phet field was held in a rice field area (Đồng Đám area) that was waterlogged for planting, causing mud, the phet tossing plan was not specific, and the protection force for the phet field was inadequate[1]. The Tam Nông 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-CP[1].
Mr. Lưu Văn Hiệu, Secretary of the Hiền Quan Commune Party Committee, said that before Tet, water overflowed into the battle field, causing much mud, not ensuring festival safety[1]. The Hiền Quan Commune People's Committee met with residents and decided to stop the phet tossing ritual at the 2023 festival[1]. 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 measures[1].
What do locals and authorities say about the suspension?
In the seventh year without the phet tossing, a reporter from Báo Văn Hoa at the Hiền Quan Phet Festival in Spring Ất Tỵ 2025 noted a solemn, reverent, peaceful atmosphere mixed with concerns and worries[2]. Many residents expressed sadness that the phet tossing has not returned, due to insufficient safety conditions[2].
Mr. Bùi Khánh, a native of Hiền 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 defense[2]. He said not holding the phet tossing for many festival seasons is a concern for villagers, and the prolonged absence makes them deeply regretful[2].
Mr. Nguyễn Tiến Nhân, chosen by villagers to play the role of Mr. Tiên Chỉ in the Spring Ất Tỵ 2025 festival, said the seventh year without phet tossing leaves villagers thoughtful, and the wish of Hiền Quan residents is for local authorities to soon complete necessary conditions to reorganize the phet tossing[2].
Mr. Trần Kim Tuyến, Secretary of the Hiền Quan Commune Party Committee, said local authorities are concerned about the people's wishes[2]. However, organizing the phet tossing cannot rely solely on the commune's responsibility; it needs support from district and provincial levels and socialized resources[2]. He noted that today the phet festival is not just for Hiền 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 infrastructure[2]. He expressed hope that in the coming time, with careful and methodical preparation, the phet tossing in the 2026 Hiền Quan festival will take place[2].
Scientific workshop in 2024 and proposal for heritage title
Preparing for the 2025 Hiền Quan Phet Festival, in December 2024, the Phú Thọ Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism coordinated with the Tam Nông District People's Committee to hold a scientific workshop "Hiền Quan Phet Festival - awareness, values, and management and organization solutions"[2]. At the workshop, managers, cultural researchers, and representatives of generations from Hiền Quan commune and Tam Nông district contributed ideas to find solutions for better organizing the phet festival, ensuring traditional rituals and promoting the festival's values[2].
Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Quang Ngọc, Vice President of the Vietnam Historical Science Association, assessed that Hiền 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 ago[2]. He proposed that the festival should be listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage and preserved and promoted according to the Law on Cultural Heritage[2]. He also expressed concern that since 2019, due to organizational shortcomings, Hiền Quan Phet Festival has not held the phet tossing, and organizing the workshop to find solutions is very necessary and urgent[2].
According to reviewed sources, as of the publication of these articles, the festival is not in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Quang Ngọc'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 Hiền Quan commune worshipping Thiều Hoa Cong Chua is recognized as a National Historical-Cultural Relic[1]. 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 Hiền 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 Thiều Hoa and her generals and soldiers[1]. The festival also educates patriotism, pride, national self-respect, and the indomitable tradition in nation-building and defense[1].
Hiền Quan Phet Festival is one of the destinations in the heritage tourism tour of three provinces Phú Thọ, Lào Cai, and Yên Bái, 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 Hiền Quan Phet Festival
First, the entire story of Thiều 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 Báo Văn Hoa present it as legend and tradition[1][2].
Second, regarding administrative place names: the collected sources all record Hiền Quan commune, Tam Nông district, Phú Thọ 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. Trần Kim Tuyến expressed hope that the 2026 phet tossing will take place[2], 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. Nguyễn Quang Ngọc's proposal to list it is a recommendation at the December 2024 scientific workshop[2], 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 Hiền Quan commune[1]) 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 Báo Văn Hoa in 2025[2]. These are estimates in the article and may vary depending on each phet made in each festival season.
