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TL;DR: The Phủ Dầy Festival takes place in the first ten days of the third lunar month in Kim Thái Commune, Vụ Bản District, Nam Định Province, and is one of the largest traditional belief festivals in the country. The festival is associated with the legend of Saint Mother Liễu Hạnh, one of the Four Immortals of Vietnamese folk beliefs, and is the center of the Mother Goddess worship of the Three Palaces, which UNESCO has inscribed as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
What is the Phủ Dầy Festival and when does it take place?
The Phủ Dầy Festival is a traditional belief festival held annually at the Phủ Dầy relic complex in Kim Thái Commune, Vụ Bản District, Nam Định Province. The festival usually takes place in the first ten days of the third lunar month, lasting for many days with the participation of local authorities and a large number of people and pilgrims from all over.
According to Nhân Dân newspaper, the 2024 Phủ Dầy Festival was held from April 11 to 16 on the solar calendar, which is from the third to the eighth day of the third lunar month. The opening ceremony took place on April 11 (the third day of the third lunar month) with incense offering rituals and cultural and folk sports activities at the relics in the complex.
This is one of the five largest traditional belief festivals in the country, associated with the legend of Saint Mother Liễu Hạnh, one of the Four Immortals of Vietnamese folk beliefs. The festival is not only an occasion for spiritual cultural activities but also an opportunity to honor and spread the profound humanistic values of the nation's ancient folk culture.
Summary table of information on the scale, locations, and value of Mother Goddess worship in Nam Định.
| Category | Figures, characteristics | Related location |
|---|---|---|
| Phủ Dầy Festival | One of the 5 major traditional belief festivals of the whole country | Kim Thái Commune, Vụ Bản District, Nam Định Province |
| Places of worship of the Holy Mother | Nearly 400 places of worship | Nam Định Province |
| Relics related to Mother Goddess worship | More than 600 relics | Nam Định Province |
| Phủ Dầy Architectural and Artistic Relic Complex | Includes more than 20 temples, communal houses, pagodas, tombs, shrines, and palaces | Kim Thái Commune, Vụ Bản District |
| Quảng Cung Palace National Historical-Cultural Relic Site | Marks the legend of the first and second births of Holy Mother Liễu Hạnh | Yên Đồng Commune, Y Yen District |
| Time of the 2024 Phủ Dầy Festival | From April 11 to 16 on the solar calendar, i.e., from the 3rd to the 8th day of the 3rd lunar month | Phủ Dầy Relic Complex |
Who is Saint Mother Liễu Hạnh?
Saint Mother Liễu Hạnh is the patron deity of the Mother Goddess worship of the Three Palaces, revered by the people as a symbol of compassion, protection, and the power to support humans. According to sources cited by VietnamNet, Nam Định Province is considered one of the localities with typical centers of worship of Saint Mother Liễu Hạnh, with places that preserve the legend of the Mother's incarnation such as Phủ Dầy, Phủ Nấp, and nearly 400 places of worship of the Holy Mother.
In particular, according to preliminary survey data, Nam Định currently has more than 600 relics related to worship and practices of Mother Goddess worship throughout the area. The most typical are the Phủ Dầy Architectural and Artistic Relic Complex (Kim Thái Commune, Vụ Bản District) and the Quảng Cung Temple National Historical-Cultural Relic (Yên Đồng Commune, Y Yen District). These are places that mark the legend of the first and second incarnations of Saint Mother Liễu Hạnh.
The legend of Saint Mother Liễu Hạnh is associated with the image of Vietnamese women with noble qualities: kindness, sacrifice, tolerance, and love for people. Mother Goddess worship in general and the worship of Saint Mother Liễu Hạnh in particular have become an indispensable part of the spiritual cultural life of Vietnamese people through many generations.
What is inside the Phủ Dầy relic complex?
The Phủ Dầy Historical-Cultural Relic Complex is an architectural ensemble consisting of more than 20 temples, communal houses, pagodas, tombs, shrines, and palaces. Among them, the center is Phủ Tiên Hương, Phủ Vân Cát, and the Tomb of Mother Liễu Hạnh. This complex carries typical values of history, culture, and architectural art and has been ranked as a National Historical-Cultural Relic by the State.
The structures in the Phủ Dầy complex not only have architectural value but are also places that preserve many precious artifacts and documents reflecting the development history of Mother Goddess worship through periods. The architecture here bears the traditional style of the Northern Delta region, with exquisite carvings, systems of columns and beams, curved roofs, and solemn worship spaces.
According to information from VietnamNet, the People's Committee of Nam Định Province has approved the zoning plan (scale 1/2,000) for the Phủ Dầy Architectural and Artistic Relic Area and related adjacent areas. This plan aims to preserve and develop the historical, cultural values, as well as the unique ecological landscape of the area.
What rituals happen at the Phủ Dầy Festival?
What are Chau Van singing and Hau Dong mediumship?
Prominent in the Phủ Dầy Festival are the Chau Van singing and Hau Dong mediumship rituals, considered important belief rituals of Mother Goddess religion. According to Ms. Hà Lan Anh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Định Province, this ritual expresses the connection between humans and deities through music, dance, and vibrant traditional costumes.
Hau Dong is a special ritual in which mediums perform dance, singing, and incarnate the deities in the Three Palaces Mother Goddess worship system. This ritual not only has spiritual meaning but is also a unique form of performing art, combining music, dance, costumes, and acting.
What happens at the Chau Van singing festival?
Within the framework of the festival, there is also a Chau Van singing art festival, attracting the participation of artisans and musicians from many localities. Chau Van singing is a unique traditional musical art form, with melodies rich in national cultural identity, used in Mother Goddess worship rituals.
What folk cultural and sports activities take place?
Besides the ritual part, the festival part also takes place vibrantly with many rich activities. According to Nhân Dân newspaper, during the festival days, there were activities such as: the procession of the Mother to the capital, human chess competition, and the letter-pulling festival (Hoa Truong Hoi) with the words "Quoc thai dan an" and "Thien ha thai binh".
In addition, there are also unique spiritual cultural activities and folk art such as: Hau Dong, Van singing, and lion-dragon dance. The letter-pulling festival (Hoa Truong Hoi) is a unique folk game, expressing the people's wish for a peaceful and prosperous country.
What does the Phủ Dầy Festival mean for Vietnamese culture?
How does the festival honor the role of women?
According to UNESCO's assessment cited by VietnamNet, the Mother Goddess worship of the Three Palaces of Vietnamese people is a spiritual activity, a form of indigenous worship with religious and belief characteristics. The practices in this belief exalt the value and role of women in Vietnamese family and social life.
Mother's love becomes the root associated with love for the homeland, country, and nature, contributing to uniting people's hearts, stabilizing, and developing society. This is a profound ethical and humanistic value, reflecting the tradition of respecting and exalting women in Vietnamese culture.
Why is the festival an intangible cultural heritage?
The Phủ Dầy Festival and the Chau Van Singing Ritual of the Vietnamese people have been included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. In particular, the "Practices of the Mother Goddess worship of the Three Palaces of the Vietnamese people" has been inscribed by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This recognition further affirms the significance and importance of the heritage in the cultural life of the people. Nam Định was assigned the task of chairing the construction of the dossier submitted to UNESCO for the inscription of the heritage "Practices of the Mother Goddess worship of the Three Palaces of the Vietnamese people".
How is the Phủ Dầy heritage being preserved?
What conservation projects and planning are in place?
To protect and promote the value of the heritage, the cultural sector of Ninh Bình Province (formerly Nam Định Province before July 2025) has coordinated with the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts to build the project "Protecting and promoting the value of the practice of Mother Goddess worship of the Three Palaces of the Vietnamese people in Nam Định until 2030", which has been approved by the Provincial People's Committee.
The project focuses on the centers of practice of Mother Goddess worship, which are the Phủ Dầy Relic Complex (Kim Thái Commune, Vụ Bản District), Quảng Cung Temple Relic (Yên Đồng Commune, Y Yen District), and some other localities. This area is identified as the center of practice of the Mother Goddess worship of the Three Palaces of the Vietnamese people, the area for preserving the relic complex associated with the representative intangible cultural heritage of the nation and humanity.
How are artisans honored and spiritual tourism developed?
Along with state management activities on cultural heritage, the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Nam Định Province has advised well on the work of honoring, rewarding, and conferring the titles "People's Artisan" and "Meritorious Artisan" on artisans in the field of intangible cultural heritage. To date, Nam Định Province has had one individual awarded the title "People's Artisan" by the President and five individuals awarded the title "Meritorious Artisan" by the President in the field of "Practices of the Mother Goddess worship of the Three Palaces of the Vietnamese people".
According to Ms. Hà Lan Anh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Định Province, the Phủ Dầy Festival is not only an important cultural event but also an occasion to promote, preserve, and promote the value of the homeland's cultural heritage, associated with sustainable spiritual tourism development. Over the past 30 years, thanks to local attention to restoring and fully gathering the cultural values of spiritual beliefs, the Phủ Dầy Festival has become one of the largest festivals in the country and an attractive spiritual tourism destination, attracting millions of domestic and international visitors to visit and worship the system of Mother Goddess relics.
What should you know before joining the Phủ Dầy Festival?
When participating in the Phủ Dầy Festival, visitors should learn in advance about the meaning and rituals of the festival to be able to participate respectfully and properly. Spiritual rituals such as Hau Dong and Chau Van singing should be viewed as part of cultural heritage, and there should be no disrespectful behavior or actions affecting the sacred space.
The work of ensuring security and order, environmental sanitation, traffic safety, fire prevention, and health during the festival days is organized and implemented methodically. Visitors should comply with the regulations of the organizers and maintain general hygiene to contribute to the success of the festival.
The Phủ Dầy Festival is one of the important cultural and spiritual destinations, not only meeting the belief needs of the people but also contributing to traditional education and fostering love for the homeland and country for generations, especially the younger generation.
