The festival annually held from 14^th to 16^th of the second lunar month dedicated to the whale which considered as a moral support of every sea journey, featured unique cultural traditions of local fishermen.

During the event, hundreds of fishing boats decorated by flags, flowers and offerings queue up for going to the sea participated in a worship procession. After the procession, locals perform worshipping rituals at “Van Lang Ong Nam Hai” praying for lucky sea journeys.

Beside traditional worshipping rituals, the festival’s community activities such as folk games, coastal cuisine competition, art performances, etc. not only attract thousands of locals and visitors but also tighten solidarity among Kinh, Chinese, Khmer ethnic communities in the locality.

According to local fishermen, in this coastal area, they discovered a whale carcass drifting in 1925. Then they set up a tomb called “Van Lang Ong Nam Hai” to preserved the sacred bones. The tomb also currently worships the remains of whales that drifted ashore in 1951, 1953 and 1963. The tomb was awarded a protection certificate by UNESCO Club on Research and Preservation for the Value of National Antiquity in 2013.

NL (TTXVN)