THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM
Government News
Prime Minister pays tribute to Hung Kings in Phu Tho province
VGP - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and other officials offered incense in commemoration of the Hung Kings, the legendary founders of Viet Nam, at the Hung Kings Temple in the northern province of Phu Tho on April 18 (the 10th day of the third lunar month).
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (second to left) and other officials offered incense in commemoration of the Hung Kings, Phu Tho province, April 18, 2024 - Photo: VGP
The ceremony was held at Kinh Thien Palace on Nghia Linh Mountain, part of the special national historical relic site of the Hung Kings Temple.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thanh Man, Minister of Public Security To Lam, General Luong Cuong, Director of the General Department of Political Affairs of the Viet Nam People's Army, and President of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Do Van Chien.
The leaders expressed deep gratitude to the ancestors who founded the nation, paving the way for the construction and development of a beautiful, prosperous, and civilized Viet Nam nowadays.
Following that, the delegation offered incense at the Tomb of the Hung Kings and laid wreaths at the bas-relief depicting President Ho Chi Minh talking to soldiers of the Tien Phong (Pioneer) Brigade at the Gieng Temple Intersection.
On this occasion, the provinces and cities housing temples dedicated to the Hung Kings and generals from the kings' era also held ceremonies to commemorate the legendary founders of Viet Nam.
Legend has it that Lac Long Quan (real name Sung Lam, son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu) married Au Co (the fairy daughter of De Lai). Au Co then gave birth to a pouch filled with 100 eggs, which hatched into a hundred sons. However, soon thereafter, Lac Long Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coast with 50 of the children, while Au Co went to the highlands with the rest.
Their eldest son was made king, who named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (modern-day Viet Tri city in Phu Tho province), beginning the 18 reigns of the Hung Kings.
The kings chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for bumper crops.
To honour their great contributions, a complex of temples dedicated to them was built on Nghia Linh Mountain, and the 10th day of the third lunar month serves as the national commemorative anniversary for the kings.
The worship of the Hung Kings, closely related to the ancestral worship traditions of most Vietnamese families, was recognized as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2012./.