Nguyen Trung Truc Temple Festival

From the 18^th to the 19^th day of the tenth lunar month, Nguyen Trung Truc Temple Festival is annually organized in Long Kien Commune, Cho Moi District, An Giang Province.

The temple is dedicated to Nguyen Trung Truc, the leader of an insurrection who rose up against the French in the South. Among other exploits, he led the raid that resulted in the burning of the French warship Esperance. Despite repeated attempts to capture him, Nguyen Trung Truc continued to fight until 1868, when the French took his mother and a number of civilians hostage and threatened to kill them, he did not surrender. Nguyen Trung Truc turned himself in and was executed by the French in the market place of Rach Gia on 27 October 1868.

The first temple structure was a simple building with a thatched roof; over the years it has been enlarged and rebuilt several times. The last reconstruction took place between 1964 and 1970. In the centre of the main hall is a portrait of Nguyen Trung Truc on an altar.

In the festival, the locals organize incense-offering ceremony, recalling sacrifices-offering ceremony, reperformance of the battle of destroying a French warships on the Nhat Tao River in the 19^th century. The festival involves boat rowing, Chinese chess and other fun games.

Since 2003, Nguyen Trung Truc Temple Festival has been considered as one of national cultual events with many typical entertainment activities. The festival attracts hundreds of visitors to participate. Beside traditional ceremory, a cultural program is held for the purpose of cultural exchange between ethnic groups of Kinh - Hoa – Khmer. Moreover, there remains a number of interesting folk games.

Visiting An Giang Province on the occasion of Nguyen Trung Truc Temple Festival, you will be able to explore and understand the cultural beauty in the region...