Hung Kings Commemoration Holiday

Hung Kings Commemoration Day has been an official holiday in Vietnam since 2007. It is scheduled for the tenth day of the third month of Vietnam’s traditional calendar. In 2027, Hung Kings Commemoration Day falls on Friday 16 April. The holiday will be on Tuesday 4 April in 2028. The holiday is dedicated to the memory of the Hung line of kings who ruled Vietnam as priestly kings for over 2,500 years up until around 250 B.C. These kings are counted as the nation’s ancient founders. The Hung Kings Festival begins two days before the official holiday, on the eighth day of the third month, and continues till the eleventh day – the day after Hung Kings Commemoration Day. These celebrations are centred around the Hung Temple in the small town of Co Tich. On the tenth day of the month, which is the third day of the festival, it is the holy death anniversary of the Hung Kings even though no particular king is thought to have died on this day. There is also a commemorative procession for Hung Kings Day, which begins at the base of Nghia Linh Mountain. Numerous people gather there to go on a pilgrimage up the mountain. They stop off at various temples along the path upward until reaching Hung Temple at the peak.