Hung Kings worshiping belief - Spiritual fulcrum, connecting the strength of great national unity in building and protecting the country

Phu Tho is the land of the nation’s origins, where the belief in worshiping the Hung Kings originates - a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. That belief has been created and preserved by generations of Vietnamese people, imbued with the cultural identity of the Vietnamese people.

The belief of worshiping Hung Kings originates from the of worshiping ancestors, rooted in gratitude, respect for the past and the origin. Since the dawn of the nation’s history, the community in the central gathered and developed region of the Ancient Vietnamese people - the confluence of three rivers: the Red River, the Lo River and the Da River, which is the Hung Kings’ Temple region nowadays, has chosen Nghia Linh mountain - Hung Kings’ Temple as the place to practice religious rituals of worshiping nature gods (worshiping Heaven and Earth).

This land of origin (Phu Tho nowadays) is where the legends of “Dragon Father, Fairy Mother” and “Hundred Egg Sac” were born to talk about the origin of the Vietnamese people. 18 generations of Hung Kings were passed down to build the Van Lang state, our first state. The Hung Kings legend has built the image of the Hung Kings as cultural icons and symbols of the national solidarity spirit. It is the source of strength that creates the fulcrum of immortal spirit throughout the length of building and defending the country of the Vietnamese people.

Since then, Hung Kings became the Patriarch of the nation and the belief of worshiping Hung Kings became a cultural symbol sought after by people in all parts of the country, and was voluntarily worshiped by the Vietnamese community out of their faith and admiration. This is also the explanation why Hung Kings’ Death Anniversary on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month every year becomes a festival for the whole nation, when millions of Vietnamese people carrying the Lac Hong bloodline make a pilgrimage to the sacred Ancestral Land to offer incense to their Ancestors.

That is a unique cultural phenomenon of the Vietnamese people, and is the basic criterion for UNESCO to honor the Hung Kings Worshiping Belief in Phu Tho as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The Vietnamese people’s belief in worshiping Hung Kings was spread and carried in their hearts and in their luggage to expand the country to the South. With a sense of returning to their roots, immigrants in the Central and Southern regions built temples to worship Hung Kings, which they considered a solid spiritual fulcrum to overcome difficulties and challenges in their life in a new land.

Hung Kings Belief is a combination of convergence and diffusion (from the Belief practice center - Hung Kings’ Temple - Phu Tho to Hung Kings worship relics at home and abroad), diffusion and convergence (all relics worshiping Hung Kings all agree to celebrate Hung Kings’ death anniversary on the 10th day of the third lunar month in a solemn and respectful manner), becoming the belief of the entire Vietnamese community. The belief of worshiping Hung Kings is honored by UNESCO and has an international level, but the connotation of this heritage is not scholarly or difficult to understand but rather simple, easy to understand, and close to the daily life like breathing and meals in Vietnamese people’s lives. Regardless of religion, wealth, gender, age, etc., every Vietnamese person with Lac Hong blood in them voluntarily believes in, absolutely respects, and voluntarily worships Hung Kings.

Le Truong Giang