Hoa Lu festival 2017 kicks off

Among the highlights of the festival was a water-carrying procession from the Hoang Long River to the King Đinh Bộ Lĩnh Temple in the early morning of Wednesday.

The ritual aims to commemorate the governance of Dinh Bo Linh, the first Vietnamese emperor following the liberation of the country from the rule of the southern Chinese Han Dynasty. He was also the founder of the Dinh Dynasty and a significant figure in the establishment of Vietnamese independence and political unity in the 10th century. During that time period, Hoa Lu was the economic, political and cultural centre of the country.

During the three-day festival, there will be many other cultural and sports-related activities, including a requiem, a temple gate-opening ceremony, displays of coloured lanterns and flower garlands, and folk games.