A festival commemorating the 224 th death anniversary of peasant hero
Hoang Cong Chat opened in the northern mountainous province of Dien
Bien on April 4.

Started in 1994, the Ban Phu
Citadel – Hoang Cong Chat Temple Festival annually takes place from the
24 th to 25 th day of the second lunar month in Ban Phu Citadel, Noong
Het commune.

The festival, the largest in Dien Bien
province, features a wide range of cultural, artistic and sports
activities, including a palanquin procession, incense offering, art
performances and a show of traditional costumes of local ethnic groups,
including Thai, H’Mong, Kho Mu, Lu and Lao.

Many folk games and a cooking contest are also held during the two-day event.

The Ban Phu Citadel was built between 1758 and 1762 by Hoang Cong
Toan, the son of Hoang Cong Chat, who led local people in the movement
to protect the northwestern villages from the occupation of the Phe
invaders from China in the 18 th century.

The Ban Phu Citadel – Hoach Cong Chat Temple, which was twice recognised
as a national historical and culture relic site in 1981 and 1994, has
not only become an important cultural and spiritual destination for
ethnic minorities in Dien Bien province but also an attraction for
Vietnamese and foreign tourists.-VNA