Festivals In Ha Long Bay
Quan Lan Festival
The Quan Lan Festival is held from the 10th to the 20th of the sixth lunar month in Quan Lan, Van Don, Quang Ninh to honor Tran Khanh Du, a notable Tran dynasty general. In a word, the Quan Lan Festival is an opportunity for people to not only honor Tran Khanh Du for his triumph over the Nguyen Mong army in 1288, but also pray for a plentiful harvest. The people of Quan Lan Island, located in the ancient Van Don commerce center, celebrate this holiday. The festival area is also a port where Quan Lan Temple, one of the few remaining old temples, is located.
The Quan Lan Festival begins on the 10th with a highly intriguing custom called Village Lock. The residents of the village are unable to leave, but guests from across the province and country are welcome to attend and take part in the event. People then organize other competitions, the most anticipated of which is the boat race. The village’s strongest men have been divided into two teams, Dong Nam Van and Doai Bac Vo, and have been practicing and preparing their own boat since the 13th. The boats used in this tournament typically weigh between 5 and 6 tons and have a hull that is fairly wide and deep; their ornamentation makes them appear to be floating dragons.
People worship Tran Khanh Du on the sixteenth and transport his tablet from the harbor to the temple. The two racing teams exercise intensely at the wharf in preparation for the competition on the 18th. On that very day, when the tide reaches the port platform of the temple, the competition begins. The volume of drumbeats, shouting individuals, and flapping flags increases continuously. Each team’s leader amazes the audience with dazzling martial arts moves in turn. The two teams then exchange three greetings in reference to their forefathers’ three victories over the Nguyen Mong army. The tournament will not begin until the leaders have completed their adoration of the general.
Even though the Quan Lan Festival mimics the image of a traditional village festival, it is now conducted on a massive scale to show the courageous and resilient attitude of the Quan Lan people, who are always eager to battle for the independence and peace of their nation.
The Halong’s Carnival
The phrase “Carnival” conjures up images of sultry, bikini-clad women dancing to pulsating music in a paradisiacal, tropical Brazil. However, few are aware that another Carnival is celebrated yearly in Ha Long Bay, one of the seven great world natural heritage sites in Vietnam, with thousands of participants from several Asian countries, including Vietnam, Korea, and the Philippines.
The Ha Long Carnival was first held in 2006 with the intention of providing a venue for Ha Long Bay and other participating nations to display their distinctive cultural characteristics and enjoy Vietnam’s vibrant atmosphere of color, camaraderie, solidarity, and joy. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase not only the tourism values of Ha Long Bay, but also Vietnam’s tourism business.
People of Ha Long find the Carnival to be the busiest, most crowded, and most enjoyable event. Tourists from all around Vietnam and other countries, numbering in the tens of thousands, arrive in Ha Long before the opening to participate in different festivities before the major night.
Travelers may gain a deeper understanding of Ha Long by viewing an art exhibition about this picturesque bay, or they could be wowed by the delectable delicacies of many cuisines at the culinary festival. Numerous sporting events, such as dancing sports, beach volleyball, and tennis, are available for spectators and participants to enjoy. Another warning to all mistresses: keep an eye on your husbands, as they could easily get lost on the Miss Ha Long Competition’s stage, where young, beautiful women in enticing costumes are displaying their seductive curves.
However, like every other celebration in the globe, the Ha Long Carnival saves the biggest and most exciting part – the festival night – for last. Beginning the evening is a parade of models and young people from all participating nations. They are attired in vibrant bikinis or short costumes that can captivate thousands of spectators on two sidewalks with their captivating motions. Hundreds of ships with beautifully decorated sails provide a wonderful backdrop for the march and the night on the bay.
The conclusion of the march signals the beginning of another popular portion of the evening: art displays. Singers and dancers from all participating nations offer their finest culturally-representative performances. The stage may have Filipino dancers doing traditional dances, Korean dancers in Hanbok dancing with drums in their hands, or Quang Ninh performers in blue costumes evoking the huge ocean. There would be no end to the pleasant evening when all the performers and audience members build another stage in the streets for free-style dancing and singing. At this point, the festival appears to have reached its most exciting phase, and the night seems to last forever.
