Dong Da Mound Festival: Celebration of heroic tradition

In the spring of 1789, under the command of peasant hero Quang Trung or Nguyen Hue, the brave Tay Son army launched a fierce lightning attack on tens of thousands of invading Chinese Qing troops. This successful military feat regained the nation's independence. The battle of Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da (nowadays Hanoi) gone down in history as a testament to the resilience of the Vietnamese people, who always strive to live in peace and freedom.

Lightning-fast victory

The glorious victory of Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da in 1789 will be more vividly recreated in the spring of 2025. Photos: Pham Hung/The Hanoi Times

Some 236 years ago, with the Dai Viet monarchy in chaos, China's Qing dynasty dispatched Sun Shiyi, the viceroy of Liangguang, to command 290,000 men and invade its southern neighbor. Nguyen Hue, the leader of the peasant movement, proclaimed himself Emperor Quang Trung and marched his rebel army north to face the invaders.

With the art of rapid troop movement, clever military tactics, and the support of the people wherever the army passed through, Emperor Quang Trung and the peasant army defeated the Qing Chinese. They recaptured the Thang Long Citadel in only five days, ensuring the survival of the Dai Viet monarchy and the glorious history of the nation.

The Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da Victory Festival, also known as the Dong Da Mound Festival, is held on the 5th day of the Lunar New Year to commemorate the great exploits of the hero Quang Trung-Nguyen Hue and the Tay Son commanders and insurgents.

That's why the festival is considered a reminder of the pride and indomitable spirit of the nation.

Apart from cultural features similar to Tay Son Upper Route Festival (An Khe Town, Gia Lai Province) and Tay Son Lower Route Festival (Tay Son District, Binh Dinh Province), Dong Da Mound Festival has attractive differences. It has become a traditional festival and a national holiday since October 10, 1954, the day the capital was liberated.

The annual festival attracts a large crowd on the fifth day of the first month of the Lunar New Year.

Unique festival combines tradition and modernity

This year's festival will last for three days from the 5th to the 7th day of the first lunar month (or from February 2 to 4, 2025). It will feature a series of wonderful activities, including an incense offering ceremony conducted by local delegations, palanquin procession, lion and dragon dance, Binh Dinh School of Martial Arts performance, Chinese chess and human chess competitions, calligraphy or presentation of traditional arts.

In particular, the 236th anniversary of Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da victory is scheduled to be held on the evening of February 2 (the 5th day of the first lunar month) at Dong Da Mound, instead of in the morning as usual. For the first time, the festival will be broadcast live to a large audience of locals and tourists, with the highlight being a special art program entitled "Dong Da - Golden Names in History - Firm Steps into the Future". The program will feature semi-realistic scenes combined with advanced 3D mapping technology.

Historical stories will be told in a fresh, modern way, with successive chapters and scenes subtly transformed with fascinating effects, instrumental music, and various forms of expression such as singing, circus acts, dancing, and drumming. The set will be constantly changing to vividly recreate the life of the locals in the late 18th century. Spectators will feel as if they were on the lightning-fast march of the Tay Son army, surrounded by elephants, horses, spears, bows, and arrows, standing on a warship at the Battle of Rach Gam-Xoai Mut, or rejoicing with the people of Thang Long in the spring of 1789.

The festival provides an opportunity to educate today's young generation to always remember the merits of Quang Trung-Nguyen Hue as well as their heroic ancestors.

The art program focuses on cultural and historical elements, paying tribute to Emperor Quang Trung's merits through a combination of performances and state-of-the-art technology. The 3D mapping technology will recreate the glorious military feat with lighting, providing viewers with realistic and impressive visual experiences and engaging all their senses with historical stories.

Along with the lighting effects, music, dance, and circus acts follow, with the artistic intention of creating a mysterious matrix that captivates the audience. The night program promises to be a feast of sound and light, demonstrating the appeal of modern technology on the foundation of valuable historical stories. In this way, it offers a fresh breeze, a novel approach, and an expression technique for historical stories in contemporary life to spread and attract the attention of numerous locals and tourists.

For hundreds of years, the Dong Da Mound Festival has played an important role in the cultural life of the people of Hanoi. It's an occasion for gathering people from all walks of life and an opportunity to educate the young generation to remember the merits of Quang Trung-Nguyen Hue and their heroic ancestors.