Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and several other officials Tuesday lit incense and offered homage at the temple dedicated to the country’s first rulers, the Hung Kings, in the northern province of Phu Tho.

 

The anniversary is now celebrated as the Hung King’s Festival on the tenth day of the third lunar month.

 

The festival, held by Phu Tho and five other provinces from April 7-12, included a wide range of traditional activities like a palanquin procession, and a rice-cake making contest.

Organizers expected this year’s festival to draw six million visitors. Employees of government offices nationwide were allowed to take three days off to celebrate the event.