Opening Ceremony of Con Son - Kiep Bac Autumn Festival 2014

On September 10, at Van Kiep Temple, Con Son - Kiep Bac relic site, Chi Linh town (Hai Duong province), Hai Duong Provincial People's Committee held a ceremony to commemorate the 714th death anniversary of Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan (1300 - 2014) and officially opened the Con Son - Kiep Bac autumn festival 2014.

Attending the memorial service for the 714th anniversary of the death of Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan were Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan; former Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Pham The Duyet; former Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Kien; Secretary of the Hai Duong Provincial Party Committee Bui Thanh Quyen, representatives of central ministries, departments and branches, leaders of Hai Duong province; a number of provinces and cities and a large number of domestic and foreign tourists.

At the ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Van Que, Vice Chairman of Hai Duong Provincial People's Committee, read a speech reviewing the life and heroic career of national hero Tran Hung Dao. Hung Dao Dai Vuong's real name is Tran Quoc Tuan, born in Kiep Bac, Hung Dao commune, Chi Linh district, Hai Duong province; his hometown is Tuc Mac village, My Loc district, Nam Dinh province. He was talented in military affairs and was a member of the Tran royal family, so in all three times the Yuan-Mongol army attacked Dai Viet, he was appointed by King Tran as a general to fight the enemy. Especially in the second and third resistance wars against the Yuan-Mongol, he was appointed by King Tran Nhan Tong as Quoc Cong, Commander of the land and water armies. Under his leadership, the army and people of Dai Viet won victories in Chuong Duong, Ham Tu, Van Kiep, Bach Dang, driving the Yuan-Mongol army out of the country. After the third successful resistance war against the Yuan-Mongol, he returned to his estate in Van Kiep. However, the Tran Kings still often came to ask for advice. He died on August 20, Canh Ty year (September 5, 1300), at the age of about 70. People built a temple to worship him called Kiep Bac temple.

Also at the opening ceremony of the Con Son - Kiep Bac autumn festival 2014, the People's Committee of Hai Duong province held the inauguration ceremony of the first phase of the restoration and embellishment of the main temple of Kiep Bac temple. The restoration and embellishment project of Kiep Bac temple is divided into 2 phases with 12 construction items including: restoration and embellishment of the front hall, the middle hall, the back hall... with capital from the national target program on culture, donations, the provincial budget and sponsorship from organizations and individuals.

Con Son Autumn Festival Boat Race.

Kiep Bac Temple is located in the historical and scenic relic cluster of Con Son - Kiep Bac which was ranked as a National Monument by the State in 1962. In 2012, the temple was ranked as a Special National Monument. During the 2013 Con Son - Kiep Bac Spring Festival, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism officially recognized the Con Son Spring Festival and the Kiep Bac Autumn Festival as National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Within the framework of the 2014 Con Son - Kiep Bac Autumn Festival, also on September 10, the Hoi Quan ceremony took place on Luc Dau River. This is a boat parade reenacting the march of Tran Dynasty generals in the second resistance war against the Yuan - Mongol army. The boats participating in the ceremony were brightly decorated, with Tran Dynasty flags on them and divided into two teams, one team wearing yellow shirts and one team wearing red shirts from the two sides of Nam Tao and Bac Dau, heading towards Luc Dau Giang in front of Kiep Bac Temple. On the boats, there were people playing the roles of Tran Dynasty generals, each general's boat had a flag bearing the general's name. On the riverbank, on the military review platform, there were actors playing the roles of Tran Hung Dao, Yet Kieu, and Da Tuong. When the signal flare went off, the two boat teams began to depart. On the shore, the dragon and unicorn dance teams and Nhat Nam martial arts teams joined in the performance. While the boats crossed each other in the water, on the shore, the flag teams, stick teams, and martial arts teams cheered to the beat of the drums, making it extremely bustling.

According to Tintuc