Hung Kings Commemoration in Vietnam (Giỗ Tổ Hùng Vương) - 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, the ancestral founders

The Hung Kings Commemoration (Giỗ Tổ Hùng Vương) on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month is a federal public holiday in Vietnam honouring the legendary Hung Kings, the traditional founders of the first Vietnamese state (Văn Lang) in 2879 BCE. The principal ceremony is held at the Hung Kings Temple complex in Phu Tho province, with a national procession led by the head of state.

The one-line summary

Federal public holiday on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, observed every year. Marks the ancestral commemoration of the Hung Kings, the traditional founders of the Vietnamese state. Federal category, iconic tier. The only fixed-date lunar federal holiday in the Vietnamese calendar.

Origin

According to Vietnamese tradition, the Hung Kings were the founding rulers of Văn Lang, the first Vietnamese state, traditionally dated to 2879 BCE. The dynasty is said to have ruled for 18 generations over roughly 2,000 years before being succeeded by the Âu Lạc kingdom under An Dương Vương in the 3rd century BCE. The legend of the Hung Kings is foundational to Vietnamese national identity, and the Hung Kings Commemoration is one of the country's most important ancestral observances.

The site of the Hung Kings Temple complex (Đền Hùng) on Nghia Linh mountain in Phu Tho province has been the principal site of ancestral veneration for centuries. The temple complex was expanded and renovated multiple times, most extensively in the 20th century. The tradition of the Commemoration was elevated to a federal public holiday in 2007 by the Vietnamese National Assembly, making it one of the most recently added federal holidays in the country.

When it falls

The Hung Kings Commemoration is fixed to the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, which moves by 10-11 days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar. In 2026, the observance is March 28; in 2027, March 17; in 2028, March 5; in 2029, March 24. The exact date is determined by the lunar calendar and is gazetted annually by the Vietnamese government. There is no substitute-holiday shift: if the date falls on a weekend, the day remains on the weekend.

How it is observed

The principal ceremony is the national procession at the Hung Kings Temple complex on Nghia Linh mountain in Phu Tho province. The President or Prime Minister of Vietnam leads the procession and presents the traditional offerings: bánh giày (round sticky rice cakes) and bánh chưng (square sticky rice cakes). The cakes are the legendary offerings invented by Prince Lang Liêu, the son of the 6th Hung King, who is said to have created them as the symbolic representation of heaven (round) and earth (square) in tribute to his ancestors.

Pilgrims travel from across Vietnam to attend the ceremony at Đền Hùng. Phu Tho province reports annual visitor numbers of 7-10 million for the Hung Kings Commemoration period, making it one of the largest pilgrimage events in Vietnam. Cultural events include the Xoan singing performances, the traditional folk songs of Phu Tho that were inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2011 and removed from that list in 2017 after preservation efforts. Schools and government offices hold ancestral rites and cultural programmes.

Legal status

The Hung Kings Commemoration was added to Vietnam's federal public holiday list in 2007 under the Labour Code amendment, following a long-running campaign by cultural and ancestral-heritage groups. The day is a paid day off for all federal employees, banks, schools, and most private businesses. The 2007 gazette followed earlier national-cultural recognition of the Hung Kings, including the 2010 classification of the Đền Hùng site as a Special National Monument and the 2012 inscription of the Hung Kings worship practice on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Where it is contested

The Hung Kings Commemoration is broadly uncontested as a federal holiday. The tradition of the Hung Kings is foundational to Vietnamese national identity, and the observance enjoys broad support across the political spectrum. The 2007 elevation to a federal public holiday was approved unanimously by the National Assembly. The main contemporary discussion is about the preservation of the Đền Hùng site and the Xoan singing tradition, which are managed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Related Vietnamese holidays

The Hung Kings Commemoration falls in the spring cluster of the Vietnamese calendar, between Tet (Lunar New Year, late January or February) and Reunification Day (April 30). The observance is the third major federal holiday of the spring, after Tet and the Hung Kings Commemoration. The Mid-Autumn Festival (15th day of the 8th lunar month) and Vu Lan (15th day of the 7th lunar month) are additional cultural-religious observances but are not gazetted as federal holidays. The lunar calendar's 3rd month typically falls in March-April by the Gregorian calendar.

Sources

• Government of Vietnam, official public holidays and observances.
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Hung Kings worship practice and Xoan singing.
• Encyclopaedia Britannica, history of Vietnam and the legendary Hung Kings.
• VietnamNet, coverage of the Hung Kings Commemoration and Đền Hùng ceremonies.