The information was released by the People’s Committee of northern midland Phu Tho province at a press briefing in Hanoi on April 1.

The provinces will include Lang Son and Ha Nam in the north; central Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Dak Lak and Binh Dinh; and southern Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, said the committee’s Vice Chairman Ha Ke San, who is also head of the festival’s organising board.

On this occasion, the province will organise a ceremony to receive a certificate recognising “the Worship of Hung Kings in Phu Tho” as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. According to San, the opening ceremony on April 13 or the fourth day of the third lunar month isexpected to draw representatives from 24 countries in the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee on implementing the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the IntangibleCultural Heritage.

It will be broadcast live on the Vietnam Television’s channel 1 (VTV1), he said, adding that high-range fireworks will light up the Phu Tho sky on the opening evening. The week-long event will feature a wide range of activities, including a street festival on main roads in Viet Tri city and Hung Kings Square, photo exhibitions on the worship of Hung Kings and the culture of the ancestral land, a Chung and Giay (Square and Round) cake making competition and a Xoan singing programme.

The Worship of Hung Kings was recognised as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity at the seventh session of the UNESCO committee in Paris on December 6, 2012. Vietnamese legends recount the rule of the 18 Hung King dynasties during the first period of Vietnamese history, between 2879-258 BC. The worshipping rituals are closely related to the worship of ancestors that is a tradition of most Vietnamese families and an important part of the people’s spiritual lives.

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