Introduction
Nestled in the heart of northern Vietnam, Ninh Binh is more than just jaw-dropping landscapes and ancient temples—it’s a cultural mosaic brought to life through its captivating festivals. From spiritual ceremonies that echo centuries of tradition to lively local gatherings brimming with food, music, and dance, these events offer travelers a rare glimpse into the soul of the region. Whether you’re seeking adventure, tranquility, or a deeper connection to Vietnamese heritage, festivals in Ninh Binh provide the perfect opportunity to experience the area’s timeless charm. With Ninh Binh Private Car, join the celebration and uncover why Ninh Binh is a must-visit destination year-round.
Festivals In Ninh Binh Overview
Like other northern provinces, Ninh Binh has its own unique religious culture. These beliefs are expressed through festivals from January to November of the lunar calendar. Festivals in Ninh Binh will also take place with many exciting events.
Most festivals usually aim to commemorate the contributions of those who have contributed to the country, the people, and the heroes of the nation. Besides, the Ninh Binh festival also aims to attract more tourists to visit the scenic spots and experience tourism here.
Festivals in Ninh Binh
Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Festival
- Time: February 15 of the lunar calendar or March 6 – March 10 of the lunar calendar, depending on the schedule each year
- Location: Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Cultural Relic Site, Truong Yen District, Ninh Binh Province.
If anyone is wondering which is the biggest Festival in Ninh Binh, it is the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Festival. Among the festivals in Ninh Binh, Hoa Lu ancient capital is held annually to express patriotism, gratitude, and the spirit of “When drinking water, remember its source” of the Vietnamese people, especially for the heroes and heroines of the nation, such as King Dinh Tien Hoang or King Le Dai Hanh.
Therefore, the festival is usually held on the birthday of King Dinh Tien Hoang, which is February 15 of the lunar calendar or from March 6 to March 10 of the lunar calendar, depending on the year. The festival is held at the central square of the Hoa Lu ancient capital cultural relic site in Truong Yen district, Ninh Binh province.
The festival will have many special activities, including processions such as the temple opening ceremony, incense offering ceremony, and water procession ceremony. Visitors can learn the most detailed information about the customs and culture here. The festival will also have many cultural, artistic, and sports activities, and it will organize folk games such as calligraphy painting, displaying the five-fruit tray to the king, and exciting human chess. If you have the opportunity to explore Ninh Binh in February, do not miss this festival.
Traditional Festival to Worship Duc Thanh Minh Dai Vuong – Trang An Festival
- Time: 18th of March, lunar calendar
- Location: Tran Temple, Minh Hai Commune, Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh
According to folk beliefs, Duc Thanh Minh Dai Vuong is one of the gods people believe in and worship. In Ninh Binh province, Duc Thanh is worshiped in many places such as Canh Dieu Mountain (Ninh Binh City), Ninh Van Commune (Hoa Lu), and Tran Temple in Trang An Spiritual Tourism Area.
Among them, the traditional festival of worship, Duc Thanh Minh Dai Vuong, is held in the Trang An eco-tourism area. The most special and unique feature of this Festival in Ninh Binh is the water procession, sacrifice, and animal release. To organize these activities, Trang An had to “mobilize” up to hundreds of different boats.
These boats will travel over 5km of the Sao Khe River, through more than 11 large and small caves. When traveling on this procession, visitors will be immersed in the festival atmosphere and admire the beautiful Trang An.
After completing the journey, the leaders will divide the procession into two parts: one half will continue the trip, while the other half will dock and perform the procession on the shore. If the river group continues its journey on the river, the land procession group will have to cross three mountains to return to Noi Lam Temple to perform the rituals.
Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival
- Time: from January 6 to the end of the third lunar month
- Location: Bai Dinh Pagoda, Gia Sinh Commune, Gia Vien District, Ninh Binh
One of the spiritual festivals in Ninh Binh is the Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival. Bai Dinh Pagoda has a vast area, up to 539 hectares, including the ancient and newly built pagoda. The organizers hold the Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival on an immense scale because of the large area. Every year, when the festival is held, it will gather many artists and exceptional cultural and religious performances.
Therefore, every time Bai Dinh Pagoda organizes a festival, many tourists attend to commemorate the contributions of heroes to the country and offer incense to Buddha, praying for peace for their families and themselves.
The Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival consists of the ceremony and the festival. The ceremony will include incense offering rituals to Buddha, commemorating the merits of Saint Nguyen Minh Khong, the Cao Son worship ceremony, and the worship of the Holy Mother of the Upper Realm. In addition, there will also be prayers from delegates of Ninh Binh province, monks, nuns, Buddhists in the pagoda, and everyone participating in the festival.
The Festival at Bai Dinh Pagoda will include many folk games, and you can enjoy the art of singing Chèo, Xẩm, and Ca Trù. Everyone can participate in the games held throughout the festival. Therefore, this is a very anticipated experience for festival participants.
Thai Vi Temple Festival
- Time: from the 14th to the 17th of the third lunar month
- Location: Van Lam village, Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh
The Thai Vi Temple Festival takes place every spring in Ninh Binh. After the Tet holiday, the community in Van Lam village, Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district, holds the Thai Vi Temple Festival from the 14th to the 17th of the third lunar month. This is also one of the spiritual festivals in Ninh Binh to commemorate the Tran kings who built the country and drove out foreign invaders.
Unlike other festivals in Ninh Binh, the Thai Vi Temple Festival has many interesting differences. The unique point of this festival is that the palanquin procession will have 30 groups from communes in Hoa Lu district and Ninh Binh province to attend.
After the procession, important sacrificial ceremonies will play a significant role in the Thai Vi Temple Festival. Afterwards, visitors will be immersed in a unique, bustling, joyful folk games atmosphere. Visitors can also participate in interesting games such as human chess, wrestling, lion dance, and countless other games.
Ninh Binh Festival
In addition to traditional festivals, in the list of Festivals in Ninh Binh, Ninh Binh will organize a comprehensive festival on a province-wide scale annually. The festival in Ninh Binh will have many special activities, such as cultural, artistic, and tourism activities. This festival is organized to promote tourism and spread the good cultural traditions of Ninh Binh.
The 3rd festival in 2024 with the theme “Heritage Flow” occurred from November 24 to November 30 in Ninh Binh city and Hoa Lu district. The festival had many impressive activities, such as the Dinh Tien Hoang De Square opening ceremony and Duc Thuy Son Assembly Hall. There were also art programs, street festivals, and the Thung Nham Bird Park closing ceremony.
In 2025, at the end of the year, Ninh Binh has also planned to organize the 4th festival. So visitors can follow the schedule to arrange their visit to Ninh Binh during the festival season.
Conclusion
These five large-scale festivals in Ninh Binh attract a lot of attention from many people. Each festival has different events, but in general, they are all to show respect to gods, kings, and historical figures. In addition, this is also an opportunity to promote the culture and tourism of the ancient capital of Hoa Lu to domestic and foreign tourists. Along with the development of society, each year, the festivals in Ninh Binh gradually become larger in scale.
However, they still retain many cultural features that are typical of the region. If you have the opportunity, come to Ninh Binh once and participate in the festivals there to experience the unique festival atmosphere. And that is interesting information about festivals in Ninh Binh. Ninh Binh Private Car hopes that this article will be helpful to you. Wishing you an enjoyable tour in Ninh Binh and participating in the unique and interesting festivals here.
Notes When Participating in Festivals in Ninh Binh
- Be sure to choose appropriate clothing because these are sacred cultural and religious activities. You can rent traditional Vietnamese costumes to participate in the festival and stand out more.
- Please pay attention to maintaining general hygiene to protect the festival’s image and the surrounding environment.
- During the festival season, there will be a lot of people participating. Please be careful not to jostle and push, to avoid disturbing social order and security.