Connecting the Lang Vac Festival with the Hung Vuong Ancestor Commemoration Ceremony

(Baonghean) - On April 5th, 6th, and 7th, 2017 (corresponding to the 9th, 10th, and 11th days of the 3rd lunar month of the Year of the Rooster), Thai Hoa town organized the 18th Lang Vac Festival.

Nghe An Newspaper conducted an interview with Comrade Le Tien Tri - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Town Party Committee, and Chairman of the People's Council of Thai Hoa town - about the innovations in the organization and orientation of promoting the value of the Lang Vac archaeological site.

PV:The 18th Lang Vac Festival in 2017 was held on the anniversary of Hung Vuong's death (10th day of the 3rd lunar month), a different date from the previous 17 festivals which were traditionally held on the 7th, 8th, and 9th days of the 2nd lunar month. What is the significance of this change, Comrade?

Lang Vac Temple, Nghia Hoa commune, Thai Hoa district. Photo: Cao Dong

Comrade Le Tien Tri:Lang Vac village in Nghia Hoa commune, Thai Hoa town, is an archaeological site of immense historical value, attracting special attention and high praise from domestic and international archaeologists. Through excavations, archaeologists from Vietnam and abroad have discovered artifacts such as Dong Son bronze drums, many valuable bronze objects, burial sites, etc.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Giang Hai, Director of the Institute of Archaeology, the Lang Vac site is valuable and rare not only because it provides a vast treasure trove of tangible heritage, but also because it helps scientists sketch a picture of contemporary history with a highly developed culture and technology of the ancient Vietnamese community during the Dong Son Culture period.

The village of Vạc played a significant role in the formation of the Vietnamese nation from its early beginnings, 2,000 years ago. This is extremely meaningful for the history of our country and the Vietnamese people.

With its immense value, the Lang Vac Archaeological Site has been honored as a National-level archaeological site. For the past 17 years, the former Nghia Dan district and the newly separated Thai Hoa town have organized the Lang Vac Festival to express the principle of remembering one's roots, honoring ancestors, fostering national pride, and celebrating the tangible and intangible cultural values ​​of the Lang Vac Archaeological Site.

This is also a cultural and spiritual activity of great significance not only to the people of Thai Hoa town and Nghia Dan district but also to the entire community of ethnic minorities in western Nghe An province.

Previously, the Lang Vac festival was held on the 7th, 8th, and 9th days of the 2nd lunar month. However, starting from the 18th festival in 2017, the People's Committee of Thai Hoa town submitted a proposal and received approval from the Provincial People's Committee to move the festival to the 9th, 10th, and 11th days of the 3rd lunar month, coinciding with the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day (10th day of the 3rd lunar month).

The relocation of the event ensures solemnity and cost-effectiveness, gradually elevating the festival and meeting the cultural and spiritual needs of all citizens. This once again affirms the value of the Lang Vac archaeological site, linked to the traces of the nation-building period of the Hung Kings. From there, we uphold the traditions of our ancestors, remembering President Ho Chi Minh's teaching: "The Hung Kings built the nation, we, their descendants, must together preserve it," and are determined to build our homeland into an increasingly prosperous, beautiful, and civilized place.

PV:So, how was the 18th Lang Vac Village Festival - 2017 organized, Comrade?

Comrade Le Tien Tri:Following the tradition of previous events, the 18th Lang Vac Village Festival in 2017 set forth the requirement to ensure solemnity, joy, healthiness, safety, and economy; meeting the cultural needs of the people and attracting more and more tourists to the historical site.

Therefore, from the beginning of February 2017, the town established a Steering Committee and an Organizing Committee and proceeded to develop a comprehensive plan to be submitted to the Standing Committee of the Town Party Committee, the Town People's Council and the Town People's Committee for approval. The festival script was submitted to the Department of Culture and Sports, the Standing Committee of the Town Party Committee, and the Town People's Council and the Town People's Committee for approval.

It can be said that the preparations for the 18th Lang Vac Village Festival in 2017 were extremely thorough. The ceremonial part had to be organized in a truly solemn manner, ensuring the preservation of cultural and spiritual elements. As for the festival part, we decided to organize a diverse and rich range of cultural and sporting activities that reflect the national cultural identity, with a focus on traditional folk games.

The highlight is the cultural activities with 8 events: camping competition, gong performance, performing arts, festival beauty contest, singing competition, campfire, swing competition, sack race, and sports activities including 7 events: men's and women's volleyball, tug-of-war, throwing the ball, stick pushing, men's freestyle wrestling, karate, and men's card game.

With these preparations, Thai Hoa town hopes to create a festival space that is both rich in tradition, highlighting the value of the Lang Vac archaeological site and the cultural identity of the ethnic communities in northwestern Nghe An; and to leave a beautiful impression of a young town developing day by day along the Hieu River for visitors from near and far.

PV:With the innovations in the organization of the Lang Vac Festival, what directions does Thai Hoa town have to further promote the values ​​of Lang Vac, making them a driving force for the town's development commensurate with its vision of becoming the central urban area of ​​Northwest Nghe An province, Comrade?

Comrade Le Tien Tri:Promoting the value of the Lang Vac archaeological site has been a genuine concern for many generations of leaders and people of Thai Hoa town, especially within the context of the local socio-economic development vision.

2017 was the second year of implementing the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress and the Resolutions of Party Congresses at all levels. This period demanded a strong shift in achieving the socio-economic development targets of Thai Hoa town, aiming to become a core urban center, an economic, service, trade, cultural, and social hub of the Northwest Nghe An region.

Therefore, promoting the value of Lang Vac Village is not only significant within the town's scope for building a civilized urban area and a sustainable new rural area, but it also promotes the town's image and strengthens the promotion and attraction of investment in urban infrastructure, services, and trade more effectively.

With that vision in mind, shifting the festival's timing to coincide with the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day is part of a plan to gradually integrate the content of the Lang Vac Festival with the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day rituals. Through this, Lang Vac will become a destination for people in the province and tourists from all over to make pilgrimages to their roots, especially during the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day.

Landscape of Lang Vac Temple. Photo: Nguyen Sach

The town will develop and propose to the Provincial People's Committee for approval a plan to organize the Lang Vac Festival in conjunction with the Hung Vuong Ancestor Commemoration Ceremony on a provincial scale, striving to implement it from 2018. We have prioritized allocating 10 billion VND from the Government's reward for localities at the district level that have completed the task of building new rural areas; and the province has also allocated 10 billion VND in medium-term capital for the period 2016-2020 to invest in infrastructure for the Lang Vac area in the coming time.

Based on that, Thai Hoa will also develop solutions to connect with other localities in the Northwest Nghe An region, travel companies, and promote Lang Vac to become a cultural and spiritual destination for tourists from all over the world on their journey to Western Nghe An.

Thus, Lang Vac village effectively promotes its historical value while also serving as an important driving force and foundation for building Thai Hoa into a civilized and modern city, rooted in its rich culture and history.

PV:Thank you, comrade!

Thanh Duy

(Perform)