On the evening of May 6th (i.e 20th of the 3rd lunar month), Khanh Hoa province solemnly held the opening ceremony of the Po Nagar Temple Festival 2026 at the Po Nagar Towers National Special Monument Site in Bac Nha Trang ward. Attending the opening ceremony were: Mr. Tran Phong - Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Mr. Trieu The Hung - Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Social Affairs; Mr. Nguyen Long Bien - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Po Nagar Towers Festival 2026; Ms. Tran Thu Mai - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Khanh Hoa province; Mr. Nguyen Thanh Ha - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; leaders of various departments and agencies, with thousands of tourists and Cham people from all over the country who came to visit and offer gifts in remembrance of the Holy Mother Thien Y Ana.
Delegates attending the opening ceremony of the Po Nagar Towers Festival 2026.
Provincial Party Secretary Tran Phong beating the drum to officially open the Po Nagar Towers Festival 2026.
This year's Po Nagar Tower Festival takes place from May 5th to May 11th (corresponding to the 19th-25th day of the 3rd lunar month) with many meaningful rituals such as: the opening drum ceremony; offering incense at the main tower; the bathing ceremony; changing the Mother Goddess's clothing; the procession of palanquins, prayers for the deceased, and the release of floating lanterns on the Cai River embankment, below the Po Nagar Tower relic; prayers for national peace and prosperity; and prayers for peace by the Cham people...
Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Long Bien giving the opening speech.
The Po Nagar Tower Festival is a prominent cultural heritage of Khanh Hoa province in particular and of the whole country in general. This annual event aims to praise and commemorate the merits of Mother Thien Y Ana – revered by the people as the Mother of the South Central region and to pray for national peace and prosperity, favorable weather, and a peaceful, prosperous, and happy life.
Delegates offering incense in remembrance of Mother Thien Y Ana.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Nguyen Long Bien, emphasized that the Po Nagar Tower embodies the typical intangible cultural values of the Cham and Vietnamese people, through the image of the goddess Thien Y Ana. The Po Nagar Tower was officially classified as a Special National Monument according to Decision No. 152/QD-TTg dated January 17, 2025 of the Prime Minister; the Po Nagar Tower Festival was also included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage in 2012. This is an honor and source of pride for Khanh Hoa province, and also a responsibility of the government and people of Khanh Hoa in preserving, protecting, and promoting the value, as well as honoring the beauty and spiritual and religious values of the monument to domestic and international tourists. Therefore, the Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requested that all levels, sectors, local authorities, and the entire population continue to preserve and promote the value of the relic, linking it with sustainable tourism development, making Po Nagar Tower an attractive cultural and spiritual destination; striving to excellently complete the organization of the festival 2026, ensuring the health and safety of the people and tourists attending the festival and practicing traditional folk rituals and beliefs at the relic.
After the opening ceremony, delegates and thousands of locals and tourists offered incense at the main tower to show their reverence and commemorate the merits of the Holy Mother Thien Y Ana.
Cham dignitaries respectfully pray to the Mother of the Land, hoping for national peace and prosperity, and favorable weather.
A large crowd of people gathered at the Po Nagar Cham Towers National Special Monument to attend the opening ceremony.
Music performances welcoming the festival.
The Po Nagar Cham Towers was built approximately 1,300 years ago, cover a total area of 57,000 square meters, stretching east-west on a hill overlooking the Cai River in Nha Trang. Here, on the 1st and 15th of each lunar month, two performances "Sparkling Land of Agarwood" and "Moonlight Shining on the Tower," are held, enriching the cultural life at the site and offering locals and tourists experiences rich in traditional identity.
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