TL;DR: Rước Cộ Bà Chợ Được is the rite of welcoming Bà's sắc (royal edict) and parading decorated cộ palanquins during the Bà Chợ Được Festival, held on the 10th and 11th of the first lunar month in Phước Ấm hamlet, Thăng An commune, Đà Nẵng (before 7/2025 part of Thăng Bình district, Quảng Nam). Bà Chợ Được is the figure whom local thần tích (deity records) and legend describe as the founder of Chợ Được market beside the Trường Giang River, worshipped by Phước Ấm villagers as Thành hoàng (tutelary deity) and granted sắc by the Nguyễn dynasty. The festival was recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014.
What is the Rước Cộ Bà Chợ Được?
The Rước Cộ Bà Chợ Được is the central rite of the Lễ hội Bà Chợ Được (Festival of the Lady of Chợ Được), comprising the ceremony of welcoming the Lady's sắc (investiture) and a procession of the cộ palanquins around the Chợ Được market area and along several main roads. The festival is held annually on the 10th and 11th days of the first lunar month, and in some years it expands into a multi-day programme, at Lăng Bà Chợ Được (the Lady of Chợ Được Shrine), Phước Ấm hamlet, Thăng An commune, Da Nang City[1]. Lăng Bà Chợ Được in Phước Ấm hamlet formerly belonged to Bình Triều commune, Thăng Bình district, Quảng Nam province, and now belongs to Thăng An commune, Da Nang City[1].
Two layers in the name should be distinguished. Cộ is a decorated processional palanquin, arranged by theme, carried and paraded. Rước Cộ is the rite of carrying those cộ palanquins through the festival space, combining folk performance, figurative display and the direct participation of the community[1][4]. At the 2026 festival, the organisers recorded the opening ceremony on the evening of 26 February at the Chợ Được river landing, and on the afternoon of 27 February the ceremony of welcoming the Lady's sắc and the Rước Cộ[1].
Who is Bà Chợ Được?
According to the thần tích (hagiographic account) transcribed in the village register of Phước Ấm, Bà Chợ Được's real name was Nguyễn Thị Thiếp, whose personal name (húy) was Của, born in 1799, a native of Phường Chào village, Phiếm Ái canton, Diên Phước district, Điện Bàn prefecture, Quảng Nam province (the former Đại Cường commune area, now part of Đà Nẵng city)[3]. Her father was named Trí, who once served as a high official at the Lê court; her mother, of the Trịnh family, had the personal name Tình[3]. However, an article in the Văn hóa newspaper about the Bà Phường Chào festival gives her name as Nguyễn Thị Của, born on 25 February in the eighth year of Cảnh Thịnh (1800)[2].
Local legend tells that at birth she had an unusual appearance: a boneless body, white skin, a body that gave off fragrance, and that she practised as a healer saving lives and taught the people to trade[3]. She died at the age of 18 in her home village. After her death, her spirit followed the Trường Giang river to Phước Ấm village, where it appeared in a dream to the villagers, telling them to establish a market and gather settlers. From then on the market was called Chợ Được, and she became the Thành hoàng (tutelary deity) of Phước Ấm village[3].
As for the sắc phong (imperial investitures), the thần tích records that in the sixth year of Thành Thái, the people of Phước Ấm village and the merchants of Chợ Được petitioned the prefecture, the province and the Ministry of Rites to confer on her the title "Tề thục dực bảo trung hưng trung đẳng thần"; then in the fortieth year of Khải Định she was conferred the title "Trang huy dực bảo trung hưng thượng đẳng thần"[3]. It should be noted that this is the content of the thần tích, that is, the tradition that defines the deity's rank, not the original investiture documents independently verified in this source.
Why is the festival tied to the market at the start of the year?
The Lễ hội Bà Chợ Được is tied to the market because the Lady herself is told to be the one who opened up trade and built a prosperous communal life[1]. Chợ Được lies beside the Trường Giang river, where boats pass and trade is carried on with Gia Định, Đồng Nai and even with Chinese and Japanese merchants according to the thần tích[3]. Holding the festival at the start of the first lunar month, close to Tết Nguyên Đán (the lunar new year), turns the rite commemorating the Lady into an occasion for cầu an (prayer for peace and safety) and for good fortune in the year's business. The festival includes a country market with food stalls and folk games, hô hát bài chòi (bài chòi singing), men's boat racing and volleyball[1][4]. This is how the community both worships the Lady and re-establishes the trading space at the start of the year.
How does the Rước Cộ take place?
The festival sequence usually consists of these parts: khoe sắc (display of colours), tế lễ (sacrificial rites), the festival proper and the Rước Cộ[4]. On the morning of the main day there is a tế lễ and offering of incense at the Lady's shrine; in the afternoon or evening comes the ceremony of welcoming the Lady's sắc and the Rước Cộ; accompanying it is men's boat racing at the Chợ Được river landing[1].
The cộ palanquins are staged by theme. The Lady's cộ procession has 4 cộ palanquins and 1 flower-cart palanquin, arranged around 4 themes: Sơn Tinh - Thủy Tinh, Phù Đổng Thiên Vương, the Victory of Rạch Gầm - Xoài Mút and the Autumn-Winter 1950 Border Campaign[4]. The procession goes around the Chợ Được area and along several main roads; people along the route set up offering altars to pray for peace and prosperity[4]. In 2026 the festival runs from 25 to 28 February with a rich programme of activities, combining traditional rites with community experience spaces[1].
How do the sources on Bà Chợ Được differ?
There are at least three points to compare. First, the birth year: the Phước Ấm thần tích gives 1799[3], while the Văn hóa newspaper gives 1800 when speaking of Bà Phường Chào[2]. Second, the name: Nguyễn Thị Thiếp, personal name Của[3] versus "Nguyễn Thị Của"[2]. Third, her age at death: the article on Bà Phường Chào says she spent 17 years in this world[2]. These differences reflect the fact that the same figure has been turned into legend in several localities with different variants, with no single unified original text.
When was the festival recognised as heritage?
In 2014, the Lễ hội rước Cộ Bà Chợ Được was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage[1]. The recognition rests on its spiritual, cultural, artistic, sculptural, figurative, theatrical, customary, ritual and community-cohesion values[4]. The festival is also regarded as a cultural and folk-belief activity tied to the formation of the riverside community along the Trường Giang, expressing the moral principle of uống nước nhớ nguồn (remembering the source when drinking water)[1].
Summary table of milestones and places
| Item | Information |
|---|---|
| Festival name | Lễ hội Bà Chợ Được, also called Lễ hội Cộ Bà Chợ Được, Lễ hội Rước Cộ Bà Chợ Được |
| Time | The 10th and 11th days of the first lunar month each year; in some years expanded over several days (2026: 25 to 28 February) |
| Location | Lăng Bà Chợ Được, Phước Ấm hamlet, Thăng An commune, Da Nang City (before July 2025: Bình Triều commune, Thăng Bình district, Quảng Nam province) |
| Figure worshipped | Bà Chợ Được; the thần tích records Nguyễn Thị Thiếp, personal name Của, born 1799, a native of Phường Chào village |
| Main rites | Tế lễ, offering of incense, welcoming the Lady's sắc, Rước Cộ, men's boat racing, hô hát bài chòi, country market |
| Heritage recognition | National intangible cultural heritage in 2014 |
Points to keep in mind when researching
First, the variants concerning Bà Chợ Được and Bà Phường Chào may lead readers to mistake them for two different figures. In fact, both the Phước Ấm thần tích and the article on Bà Phường Chào say she was originally from Phường Chào village and later appeared at Phước Ấm[2][3]. Second, the figures for birth year, age at death and name should be read as local legend, not as verified historical data. Third, the administrative boundaries have changed: Phước Ấm hamlet, Bình Triều commune, Thăng Bình district, Quảng Nam province formerly, is now Phước Ấm hamlet, Thăng An commune, Da Nang City[1]. When consulting old maps, readers need to cross-check against the new names.
