The hallmarks of the Lotus Village Festivals
Since its inception in 1982, the Lotus Village Festival, held annually on President Ho Chi Minh's birthday, has been a celebration of diverse cultural colors, a convergence of people's heartfelt gratitude and remembrance of him.
Content:Le Xuan /Present:Hong ToaiMay 18, 2026
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Since its inception in 1982, the Lotus Village Festival, held annually on President Ho Chi Minh's birthday, has been a celebration of diverse cultures, a convergence of people's heartfelt gratitude and remembrance of him.
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Back in the early 1980s, Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuong was the Director of the Nghe Tinh Provincial Cultural Center. At that time, a question constantly weighed on his mind: How could he make the annual folk music festival truly engaging and deeply rooted in the culture of Nghe An province? After many sleepless nights, the idea of a festival of songs about President Ho Chi Minh, held annually on May 19th, flashed through his mind.
In 1981, Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuong's proposal to organize a folk art festival with the theme of singing about President Ho Chi Minh on his birthday was accepted by the Provincial People's Committee and the Ministry of Culture and Information. On May 19, 1982, the first Lang Sen Singing Festival took place in Vinh City with the participation of five art troupes: Nghe An, Hue, Phan Thiet, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi. The festival's success created a memorable milestone and a special mark for the people of Vinh City that year. From then on, the Lang Sen Singing Festival has attracted and expanded its pool of amateur performers from various backgrounds, including students, workers, farmers, and ethnic minorities from both the North and South of Vietnam.
As someone who attended the Lang Sen Singing Festival that year, Mr. Tran Hong Co - former Editor-in-Chief of the Nghe An Labor Newspaper - still cannot forget the moments when the songs about President Ho Chi Minh resonated, bringing tears to the eyes of both singers and audience members. The Lang Sen Singing Festival gave them an opportunity to express their deep love and admiration for President Ho Chi Minh, building a musical bridge to spread those feelings to audiences near and far.
The annual Lang Sen Singing Festival has become a valuable cultural event, both ideologically and artistically, and is well-received by people nationwide. Each year, the festival grows in scale, artistic quality improves, and the number of participating art troupes increases. After 20 years of formation and development, the Lang Sen Singing Festival has become a national mass art festival. The program's content has also expanded, no longer limited to praising President Ho Chi Minh, but encompassing praise for the Party, the homeland, and the country.
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To ensure the longevity and richness of the festivals, the Lang Sen Creative Camp was established and is regularly held annually. The camp brings together talented writers of Vietnamese music. Many works about President Ho Chi Minh and Mother Hoang Thi Loan, originating from these creative camps, have become part of the public's spiritual life. These include..."People are the unwavering belief in ultimate victory."by composer Chu Minh,"Listening to the boatman's song at night reminds me of Uncle Ho."by An Thuyen,"The Mother of Lang Sen Village"by Vi Phong - Le Ham,"The flowers in Uncle Ho's garden"by Van Dung,"Village festival by the Lam River"by Ho Huu Thoi…
Many artists and actors have emerged from these festivals, such as People's Artist Tiến Dũng, Meritorious Artist Ngọc Hà, Meritorious Artist Bích Ngọc (from Nghệ An province), People's Artist Trung Đức from Hanoi, People's Artist Y Moan (from the former Phú Yên province, now Đắk Lắk), Meritorious Artist A Mư Nhân (from Lâm Đồng province)... These festivals have become a cradle for training, nurturing, and developing artistic talents, contributing to the development of professional and amateur artistic activities nationwide.
It can be said that at the Lang Sen Singing Festivals, the image of Uncle Ho has been portrayed on many levels with rich and profound emotions. Each festival focuses on a different theme. The first festival in 1982 had the theme "The whole nation sings about Uncle Ho," in 1988 it was "People of the mountainous ethnic groups of Nghe Tinh sing about Uncle Ho," in 1989 it was "Workers and civil servants sing about Uncle Ho," and in 1994 it was "Traditional songs dedicated to Him"...
The program features performances by amateur art troupes, but the meticulousness and attention to detail in the staging and performances, along with the heartfelt love and respect for Uncle Ho, have made the acts captivating and engaging for the audience. Each year, the number of participating troupes has increased, and the professionalism has improved, creating a cohesive, harmonious, and refined whole. Beyond folk songs with the melodies of Ví Giặm, the festival also includes the Then Lượn dance from Cao Bằng - Việt Bắc, and the Hò Lý melodies of Central and Southern Vietnam. The Làng Sen Singing Festival has truly become a national amateur art festival, a gathering place reflecting the rich and unique cultural identity of Vietnam.
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The influence and reach of the Lang Sen Singing Festival far exceeded its initial goals. Therefore, in 2002, the Lang Sen Singing Festival was elevated to the Lang Sen Festival to be worthy of a festival honoring world cultural figures and to become a cultural activity with high political and ideological value, promoting the thoughts, ethics, and personality of Ho Chi Minh.
The Lotus Village Festival is considered a contemporary festival; therefore, the sacredness of the festival is one of the key aspects being considered and refined. Generally speaking, when discussing a festival, at least four elements are mentioned: the worshipped figure, the performances, the games, and the offerings.
Although President Ho Chi Minh has passed away, in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people, he has manifested himself as a saint. He is worshipped across a wide area: from the plains to the mountains, from North to South, from simple altars in each family to majestic shrines present in the North, Central, and South of the country. The worship of Uncle Ho has had a strong influence on life, becoming a religious belief in the worship of Ho Chi Minh, with the central shrine located in memorial houses and cultural and historical relics in his homeland associated with his life.
Every May, despite the hot weather, people from all over the country and Vietnamese expatriates abroad make pilgrimages to Lang Sen to express their gratitude to Uncle Ho. In the atmosphere of Lang Sen and Lang Chua villages, they relive memories of their childhood, gaining a deeper understanding of a humble, simple, and patriotic scholarly family. From this, each person seems to draw strength and inspiration from Uncle Ho's life, further nurturing their love for their country and homeland.
Over many years, the Lotus Village Festival has gradually perfected its ceremonial and festive aspects with many meaningful activities and high-level experiences in all three areas: culture, sports, and tourism. Many events attract the attention of visitors, such as: art festivals, exhibitions of paintings and photographs about President Ho Chi Minh throughout different periods, seminars and discussions on issues related to President Ho Chi Minh, the Lotus Village Festival itself, youth camps, folk games, and the street festival "Homeland in the Lotus Blooming Season"... This year, the festive part focuses more on experiential activities with new forms: night tourism "Lighting up Lotus Village", a "Countryside Market" space combined with experiential activities; display and introduction of OCOP products, cuisine, lotus-based products, and traditional craft products; Parades, mass performances of traditional Vietnamese dresses (Ao Dai) inspired by the Lotus Village tradition… These activities have contributed to introducing and promoting Lotus Village and Nghe An province to locals and tourists both domestically and internationally. The Lotus Village Festival is gradually promoting sustainable tourism development, linking unique tourism products with cultural and historical experiences in the homeland of President Ho Chi Minh.
In recent years, the opening and closing ceremonies of the Lang Sen Festival have been meticulously planned and invested in; utilizing modern sound and lighting equipment, drawing on historical data, and combining it with music and narration to give viewers an experience of the journey to save the nation, while simultaneously expressing the boundless love and respect of the people for President Ho Chi Minh. Besides professional performers from various provinces, there are also appearances by music stars such as Tung Duong, Trong Tan, Tan Nhan, and young singers like Bui Cong Nam, Duong Hoang Yen, and Ha Quynh Nhu. Their presence at the Lang Sen stadium allows people to directly enjoy high-quality, professional artistic programs in their hometown, with familiar melodies and stories inspired by Lang Sen.
More than just a cultural event, the Lotus Village Festival is a convergence of the Vietnamese spirit, a reflection of the profound admiration of generations for President Ho Chi Minh. His life, thoughts, and character live on in the hearts of the Vietnamese people. Each time we participate in the Lotus Village Festival, it is an opportunity to get closer to and better understand President Ho Chi Minh's moral example, thereby learning from and following his moral example in a practical and effective way.
