What Is the Lam Chay Festival in Tam Vu and When Does It Take Place?
The Lam Chay Festival is a traditional festival of the people of Tam Vu commune, Tay Ninh province, held annually around the full moon of the first lunar month at Tan Xuan communal house and several nearby sites. The name "Lam Chay," according to Bao Tay Ninh, is a mispronunciation of the term "trai dan," a Buddhist rite for the dead2. The area was formerly Tam Vu town, Chau Thanh district, Long An province; after administrative reorganization, it is now Tam Vu commune, Tay Ninh province.
Kind of knowledge: CalendarCalendar fact. Computed by calendar arithmetic, and checkable against a printed almanac or an independent calculation. The five labelsSources do not fully agree on the dates. The Department of Cultural Heritage records the festival on the 15th and 16th of the first lunar month1. A Tuoi Tre report from March 2026 says it runs from the 14th to the 16th3. Bao Tay Ninh also lists three days, the 14th, 15th and 16th2. Readers should take the 15th and 16th as the two main days according to the heritage file, while preparation and opening activities may start earlier on the 14th.
Which Historical Event Is the Origin of the Lam Chay Festival Linked To?
Kind of knowledge: DocumentedHistorical record. Backed by a document, a date and a source; the note number beside it points to that source. The five labelsAccording to Bao Tay Ninh, in the latter half of the 19th century, when the French colonialists occupied Tam Vu, many patriotic uprisings broke out but were suppressed, including two scholars Do Tuong Tu and Do Tuong Phong who were executed by firing squad. The colonial authorities then banned residents from holding funerals or mourning. The people of Tam Vu borrowed the form of "trai dan," a Buddhist rite for the dead, to commemorate the fallen patriots and pray for peace for the village2.
The Department of Cultural Heritage also records that the festival is held to worship the fallen patriots of the anti-French patriotic movement in the latter half of the 19th century, to pray for wandering souls, and to pray for peace for the people and the village1.
Kind of knowledge: UnprovenNot enough evidence. Someone has claimed it, but no source or study is strong enough to confirm it. The five labelsThe legend and folk accounts about Do Tuong Tu and Do Tuong Phong being executed and the villagers establishing a trai dan are retold by Bao Tay Ninh based on "historical records and the accounts of local elders"2. This article reports only to the extent the source provides and does not confirm the dates or specific details as independently verified events.
The Festival Sequence in Chronological Order
Kind of knowledge: CalendarCalendar fact. Computed by calendar arithmetic, and checkable against a printed almanac or an independent calculation. The five labelsThe sequence below is compiled from the descriptions of the Department of Cultural Heritage and news reports, arranged by time within the two main days. The time markers are only relative because the organizers may adjust them each year.
| Time | Ritual or activity | Location |
|---|---|---|
| About one month before the festival | Preparing the Ong Tieu figure, building the gian, making the Long Dinh - Tu Chau, the phong dang boat | Tan Xuan communal house, Linh Phuoc pagoda |
| Morning of the 15th | Welcoming Ong Tieu from Linh Phuoc pagoda to Ong pagoda for people to worship | Linh Phuoc pagoda, Ong pagoda |
| 15th | Welcoming the Buddha, welcoming sutras, procession of the Shakyamuni Buddha statue and the two Bodhisattvas Ananda and Kasyapa to the communal house; offering incense, silent tribute, striking gongs and drums to call souls at the martyrs' monument | Tan Xuan communal house, martyrs' monument |
| 15th | Chanting sutras for peace; offering sacrifices to martyrs; raising the martyrs' banner | Tan Xuan communal house |
| Night of the 15th | Amateur music exchange, flower float parade around the commune center | From Tan Xuan communal house around Tam Vu commune |
| 16th | Folk games: blindfolded pot hitting, tug of war, duck catching, sack races, greased pole climbing; sports activities | Communal house yard, Tam Vu river |
| 16th | Offering to wandering souls at Am Nhon shrine; offering trays of cakes; raising Ong Tieu onto the gian | Am Nhon shrine, Tan Xuan communal house |
| 16th | Chieu u gan (walking) and chieu u xa (by vehicle) | From the communal house, from Tam Vu market |
| 16th | Scene of welcoming sutras, drumming, welcoming the master (Tang Sanzang and disciples); phong dang on Tam Vu river | Tam Vu river |
| Midnight of the 16th | Xo gian, seeing off guests, burning Ong Tieu; releasing paper boats to send off wandering souls | Communal house yard, Tam Vu river |
The Main Rituals of the Lam Chay Festival
Welcoming Ong Tieu and the Figure of Tieu Dien Dai Si
Kind of knowledge: School: BuddhismSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsThe main object of the festival is Ong Tieu, or Tieu Dien Dai Si, who in Buddhism and folk belief is an incarnation of Quan The Am Bodhisattva, the head and ruler of the world of ghosts1. The Ong Tieu figure is elaborate, about 2 meters tall, wearing armor, with horns on the head, many faces on the body, and notably a pink paper tongue nearly half a meter long1. The figure is prepared a month before the festival and kept at Linh Phuoc pagoda before being carried to the communal house1.
Chieu U and Offerings to Wandering Souls
According to the Department of Cultural Heritage, the chieu u rite (offering to wandering souls) includes chieu u gan and chieu u xa. Chieu u gan starts from the communal house and goes on foot in four directions; chieu u xa starts from Tam Vu market by coach, with an incense-offering ceremony at the district martyrs' cemetery1. Offerings to wandering souls at Am Nhon shrine include a pig that has been bled, shaved and opened but with organs left intact, along with rice, salt, a plate of blood, cakes, fruit, and joss paper; after the offering, the items are taken to the communal house to be cooked and served to guests1.
Phong Dang on the Tam Vu River
The phong dang rite aims at enlightenment and liberation of sentient beings and takes place on the Tam Vu river. The dang boat is elaborately decorated, with an altar holding a memorial tablet and a tray of offerings. At the bow stand four people playing the roles of yakshas, Ong Dia, Kim Dong and Ngoc Nu. While the yakshas and Ong Dia dance with fire whips on the dang boat on the river, monks chant sutras on the shore. The dang boat moves out onto the river to release coconut shells filled with oil-soaked sand and set them alight1.
Xo Gian, Seeing Off Guests and Burning Ong Tieu
The most important ritual is xo gian and seeing off guests, held at midnight on the 16th. Offerings on the gian are scattered and distributed to children, then the Ong Tieu figure is burned along with joss paper. A paper boat with a bamboo frame on a banana raft, carrying offerings, is tasked with seeing off guests (wandering souls) and is released downstream on the Tam Vu river after a drum farewell. The escort group returns to the communal house to bring the incense burner back to Am Nhon shrine, ending the festival1.
Kind of knowledge: Folk beliefFolk belief. What people believe, avoid or pass on by word of mouth, recorded as a belief, not as a checked fact. The five labelsIn recent years, to ensure security and order, the organizers have changed the form of xo gian from scrambling for offerings to distributing them, sharing the offerings equally with attendees instead of letting people rush in3. However, according to Tuoi Tre, the zodiac animal of each year is still chosen as the decoration theme across the festival spaces, such as the horse image for the Binh Ngo year 20263.
The Festive Part and Folk Games
Alongside the rituals, the festival features many cultural and artistic activities and folk games. According to the Department of Cultural Heritage, on the 16th the community joins games such as blindfolded pot hitting, tug of war, duck catching, sack races, greased pole climbing, and sports such as cross-country running, slow bicycle racing, volleyball and football1. The duck catching game is held at Ghe Dang wharf behind Tam Vu market, with ducks released into the Tam Vu river for young people to swim and catch3. Bao Tay Ninh also records the festive part with lion dances, classical opera, tug of war, duck catching, pot hitting, and flower float parades2.
Kind of knowledge: DocumentedHistorical record. Backed by a document, a date and a source; the note number beside it points to that source. The five labelsIn addition, the festival includes rites of sacrifice to martyrs led by Cao Dai followers and a martyrs' banner-raising rite presided over by a senior Buddhist monk, chanting sutras and hanging a banner praising the sacrifice of martyrs for the Fatherland1. The participation of many religions and beliefs in one festival is a feature noted by the Department of Cultural Heritage1.
Why Was the Lam Chay Festival Recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage?
Kind of knowledge: DocumentedHistorical record. Backed by a document, a date and a source; the note number beside it points to that source. The five labelsThe Lam Chay festival was decided by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to be included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2014, under Decision 4205/QD-BVHTTDL dated 19/12/2014, with the name "Le lam chay"1. However, a Tuoi Tre report from March 2026 says the festival was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 20153. This difference may be due to how the year of issuance or the year of the award ceremony is recorded; this article notes both dates for readers to compare.
According to the Department of Cultural Heritage, the Lam Chay festival expresses ethnic, religious and belief harmony, contributes to preserving traditional values and local identity, and embodies the spirit of remembering the source when drinking water, toward the ancestors who had merit in opening the land and founding the settlement, and the heroic martyrs through the periods1.
Points to Note When Learning About the Lam Chay Festival
First, on the name: "Lam Chay" is a mispronunciation of "trai dan" according to Bao Tay Ninh2; the name in the national heritage list is "Le lam chay"1. Local people also call it "Lam Chay muoi sau" because the main day is the 16th2.
Second, on spatial scope: the festival is not confined to one communal house but stretches from Tan Xuan communal house to Linh Phuoc pagoda, Ong pagoda, Dien shrine, Am Nhon shrine, Phuong Que Ngoc Dai Holy House, Tam Vu river and Tam Vu market1.
Third, on its nature: it is a festival that carries elements of Buddhist belief, commemoration of patriots and martyrs, and folk festivity. These elements are interwoven in one sequence of rituals, not separate12.
Fourth, on the evidence level of historical details: the details about Do Tuong Tu and Do Tuong Phong being executed and the villagers using the trai dan as a cover are retold from historical records and local accounts2, not from independently verified historical documents. When reading articles about the festival, one should distinguish between the ritual part being practiced (observable, recordable) and the legendary origin part (community memory).
