The Giong Festival 2025 opens at the Soc Son Temple National Special Relic Site on February 3 (the 6th day of the first lunar month) with Ha Minh Hai, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, offering incense to Thanh Giong in a respectful ceremony.

Soc Son Temple is located in the suburban district of Soc Son, about 30 kilometers from downtown Hanoi. Legend has it that Thanh Giong (Saint Giong) was an infant from  Phu Dong Village who grew into a big man in a few months to defeat the Chinese invaders and bring peace to the country. To commemorate his exploits, the people consecrate him as Genie Giong and hold an annual festival to show their gratitude to the one who sacrificed his life to free the country.

The festival is held annually from the 6th to the 8th of the first lunar month at Soc Son Temple with the Bamboo Flower Procession, Elephant Procession, Betel Plant Procession and Paper Boat Rituals.

Ha Minh Hai, Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, offers incense at the Giong Festival 2025. Photos: Trong Tung/The Hanoi Times

According to Vice Chairman Ha Minh Hai, the festival is one of the largest in Hanoi and the country. It was inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List in November 2010.

"The festival has become an important event, an indispensable celebration in the cultural and religious life of Hanoi people. It aims to preserve and promote the unique intangible cultural values of Soc Temple National Special Relic Site. At the same time, it contributes to promoting the image and tourism potential of Soc Son District," the deputy mayor added.

Pham Van Minh, Chairman of the Soc Son District People's Committee, said the procession is the most important activity. "These days, many people flock to the Special National Monument of Soc Temple. According to tradition, people present bamboo flowers, paper elephants and horses, and other offerings to Thanh Giong."

Pham Van Minh, Chairman of the Soc Son District People's Committee, beats the drum to open the Saint Giong Festival 2025.

"The village in charge of the procession has to prepare for the festival during the previous year. The site is especially bustling in the run-up to the Lunar New Year," Minh said.

He added that the Giong Festival symbolizes hope for peace and prosperity.

"We will continue to fulfill our commitments with UNESCO to preserve and promote the values of the festival," the official stressed.

The Giong Festival is held in several places in Hanoi. Among them, the one at Soc Temple, where the hero ascended to heaven, and Phu Dong Temple in Gia Lam District, where he was born, are the most solemn and largest.

Among the 7,000 traditional folk festivals in Vietnam, the Giong Festival has been rated by domestic and foreign researchers as unique, with special cultural and religious values.

The bamboo flower procession at the opening ceremony of the Giong Festival 2025.