What is the Tay Thien Festival and when does it take place?
The Tay Thien Festival is a traditional festival held from the 15th to the 17th of the second lunar month each year to honor National Mother Lang Thi Tieu12. The venue is the Tay Thien Relic and Landscape Complex, Dai Dinh Commune, Phu Tho Province; before July 2025 this area belonged to Tam Dao District, Vinh Phuc Province13. The ritual center is the Upper Temple on Thach Ban Mountain in the Tam Dao range3.
Kind of knowledge: CalendarCalendar fact. Computed by calendar arithmetic, and checkable against a printed almanac or an independent calculation. The five labelsThe festival dates are reckoned by the lunar calendar, falling around March to April on the solar calendar each year. 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 2026, the opening ceremony took place on 2 April on the solar calendar, that is the 15th day of the second lunar month, within the Tay Thien Spring Binh Ngo Festival3.
How is National Mother Tay Thien Lang Thi Tieu recounted?
According to legend, Lady Lang Thi Tieu was the principal royal consort of Hung Chieu Vuong, credited with helping the Hung king expand the realm, teaching people wet-rice cultivation, recruiting soldiers and strengthening the dynasty12. This is legendary material, not a verified historical event; modern scholarship does not regard this identity as proven.
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 1763, a document of the Board of Rites under the Le restoration recorded the relics worshipping National Mother Tay Thien1. This is the earliest administrative document cited by the news source, showing that the worship held a place in the state ritual system of that period, unlike the biographical story which belongs to legend.
Kind of knowledge: School: Mother Goddess worshipSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsIn the understanding of Mother Goddess worship, National Mother Tay Thien is one of the Holy Mothers governing the forest and mountain region; the Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship of the Three Palaces was inscribed by UNESCO in 20161. Tay Thien Mother Goddess worship is assessed as one of the three oldest beliefs in the Northern Delta region, alongside Hung King worship and Tan Vien Son Thanh worship12.
What does the Tay Thien Relic and Landscape Complex contain?
The Tay Thien relic and landscape complex covers about 250 ha, stretching from the foot to the summit of Thach Ban Mountain in the Tam Dao range3. The main structures include the Tay Thien Festival Cultural Center, the Bao Stupa, Thien An Pagoda and the Upper Temple worshipping National Mother Lang Thi Tieu3.
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 Dai Dinh Commune there is a system of relics worshipping deities and Buddhas comprising 8 temples and communal houses, 7 pagodas and 2 Zen monasteries, Truc Lam Tay Thien and Truc Lam An Tam3. This figure is taken from a 2026 news report, not a fixed number across periods.
What is the sequence of rituals in the festival?
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 the account of the Tay Thien Spring Binh Ngo Festival in 2026, the ritual part was held solemnly with traditional rites such as the proclamation rite, the palanquin procession, the opening ceremony, incense offering and the thanksgiving rite3. The procession started from the foot of the mountain and advanced to the Upper Temple in a solemn atmosphere with music and flags and flowers3.
| Order | Rite | Description according to the 2026 source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proclamation rite | Opening rite, reporting to the deities the opening of the festival |
| 2 | Palanquin procession | The procession starts from the foot of the mountain and advances to the Upper Temple on Thach Ban Mountain |
| 3 | Opening ceremony | Held solemnly with an art program themed "Sacred Tay Thien" |
| 4 | Incense offering | Delegates and locals offer incense at the Upper Temple |
| 5 | Thanksgiving rite | Closing rite of the ritual part |
The table above is compiled from the 2026 news report; other years may adjust scale and participants, for instance in 2020 due to COVID-19 the festival omitted the festive part and held only the ritual part and the announcement of the heritage recognition decision2.
What activities are in the festive part?
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 organizers coordinated with units to hold many cultural, sports and tourism activities such as the traditional Tay Thien leather volleyball tournament; contests of making banh chung, banh gio and banh day; cultural camps among villages and units; folk games such as tug of war and xiangqi; art and drum programs; cultural exchanges, Soong Co folk singing performances and practice of Three Palaces Mother Goddess worship3.
Kind of knowledge: School: Three Palaces Mother Goddess worshipSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsThe basic practice of Three Palaces Mother Goddess worship is the mediumship rite and festivals, through folk cultural elements such as costumes, music, chau van singing, dance and performance1. At the Tay Thien Festival, the practice of Three Palaces Mother Goddess worship is held as part of the festive part3.
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 folk belief, festival-goers believe that offering incense at the Upper Temple and joining the palanquin rites bring peace and good fortune to the family. This is a community belief, not a claim about actual efficacy.
Important milestones associated with Tay Thien
| Year | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1763 | A document of the Board of Rites under the Le restoration records the relics worshipping National Mother Tay Thien | VietnamPlus 2020 |
| 12/2015 | The relic worshipping her in Dai Dinh town was recognized as a Special National Historical Relic | VietnamPlus 2020; Nhan Dan 2026 |
| 14/1/2020 | Decision 176/QD-BVHTTDL announced the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage, including Tay Thien Mother Goddess worship | VietnamPlus 2020 |
| 8/3/2020 | Ceremony announcing the heritage recognition decision in Tam Dao District, Vinh Phuc Province | VietnamPlus 2020; Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism 2020 |
| 2/4/2026 | Opening of the Tay Thien Spring Binh Ngo Festival, that is the 15th day of the second lunar month | Nhan Dan 2026 |
Which heritage title belongs to the festival and which to the worship?
This is a commonly confused point. The National Intangible Cultural Heritage title belongs to "Tay Thien Mother Goddess Worship", not to the festival alone12. Specifically, on 14 January 2020, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 176/QD-BVHTTDL announcing the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage, including Tay Thien Mother Goddess Worship, Tam Dao District, Vinh Phuc Province1.
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 labelsMeanwhile the relic site worshipping her in Dai Dinh town was recognized by the Prime Minister as a Special National Historical Relic in December 2015123. Thus there are two different kinds of title: one for a tangible relic (special national, 2015) and one for an intangible worship practice (national, 2020).
Who organizes it and what does the festival mean to the local community?
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 2026, the Tay Thien Festival was organized by Dai Dinh Commune in coordination with the Phu Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism3. Before July 2025 this area belonged to Tam Dao District, Vinh Phuc Province; after the administrative unit rearrangement, the organizing unit is recorded as Dai Dinh Commune, Phu Tho Province3.
The Tay Thien Festival is an important part of the cultural and spiritual life of the people of the ethnic groups in Dai Dinh Commune and neighboring areas, aiming to remember and honor the merits of National Mother Lang Thi Tieu3. Activities displaying cultural heritage and introducing tourism products are also held to promote the image of Tay Thien - Tam Dao to visitors3.
Why does the Tay Thien Festival belong to the group of Mother Goddess worship festivals?
Tay Thien Mother Goddess worship lies within the broader current of the Vietnamese Three Palaces Mother Goddess worship, a form of worshipping the Mother incarnate in the realms of sky, water and forest, formed on the foundation of goddess worship1. From the 16th century, this worship became a cultural and religious activity with deep influence in social life and the mindset of the people1.
Kind of knowledge: School: Three Palaces Mother Goddess worshipSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsThe practice of Three Palaces Mother Goddess worship is distributed in many localities across the country such as the Northwest, Northeast, Northern Delta, North Central Coast and Ho Chi Minh City; among them Nam Dinh is regarded as the center with nearly 400 sites of Holy Mother worship, according to figures cited in a 2020 article1. This number is tied to the time of publication, not a continuously updated figure.
Points to note when learning about the Tay Thien Festival
- The identity of National Mother Lang Thi Tieu is legend; materials about her should be read with the awareness that this is storytelling tradition, not verified historical record.
- Heritage titles should be clearly distinguished: "Tay Thien Mother Goddess Worship" is a national intangible cultural heritage (2020); the relic site is a special national relic (2015).
- The administrative place name has changed: before July 2025 it belonged to Tam Dao District, Vinh Phuc Province; now it is Dai Dinh Commune, Phu Tho Province.
- The festival time is reckoned by the lunar calendar, so the solar dates change each year; check the specific calendar before arranging a trip.
