Saint Nguyen Temple Festival recognised as national intangible cultural heritage

The Saint Nguyen Temple Festival is held annually from the 8th to 10th days of the third lunar month in communes of Gia Thang and Gia Tien to commemorate Zen Master Nguyen Minh Khong (1073-1141).

Nguyen Minh Khong was a talent Zen Master who made great contributions to the cultural and political life of the Dai Co Viet state under the Ly dynasty.

He played an important role in the Buddhist history of Vietnam.

Saint Nguyen was the first person to apply treatment methods with Vietnamese herbs and acupuncture. He is also honoured as the ancestor of bronze casting and is worshiped in long-standing bronze casting villages in Nam Dinh, Ha Noi, Thanh Hoa, Hung Yen, and Bac Ninh.

The Saint Nguyen Temple Festival includes rituals and festive activities. Numerous activities are held such as art performances, folk games, sporting events, a cuisine corner, and a fair displaying agricultural and tourism products of Gia Vien district.

In the past few years, Gia Vien district’s authorities have paid special attention to preserving and promoting the values of the Saint Nguyen Temple Festival in a bid to turn it into a spiritual activity for local people and to fully exploit local cultural values serving tourism development.