The ‘Cau Ngu’ Fish Worshipping Festival is one of the most important events in the cultural and spiritual lives of Da Nang’s fishermen, associated with the traditional whale worshipping ritual in the past.

It is also considered as a special community cultural activity, which helps to introduce local residents to historical evidence to re-affirm Viet Nam's sovereignty over its sea and islands, and fishing experiences gained by many generations of fishermen.

In 2016, the festival was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The annual event features many solemn traditional ceremonies and exciting folk games.

The ceremonies included a procession of the Sea God, a funeral oration delivered to the God of Water, and traditional rituals to honour ancestors and to pray for peace and prosperity throughout the year. 

The festive activities included ‘ba trao’ (dancing and singing local traditional folk songs) to honour the merits and virtues of the whale, and to show the local fishermen's strong desire for peaceful offshore fishing trips, with bumper catches. In addition, various exciting competitions were held at the event, including fishing net knitting, tug-of-war, and a coracle race.

The Cau Ngu (Fish Worshipping) Festival for fishermen in Thanh Khe District took place in the district’s Thanh Khe Dong Ward from 1-3 March.

Last Saturday, various solemn traditional rituals were held, attracting a great deal of attention from locals and visitors. 

This year’s event also featured an exhibition introducing documents and photos which prove Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos. Another exhibition showed beautiful photos which praise the great love of the district’s school pupils for the country’s sea and its isands. In addition, there were stalls introducing and selling local seafood products made by local fishermen.

Reporters Ngoc Ha and Huynh Trang from DA NANG Newspaper captured some photos which show highlights from the festival.

A ceremony to deliver a funeral oration to the God of Water is carried out by senior citizens who have a profound understanding of the local history and traditions.

The procession of the Sea God includes senior male residents in ‘ao dai’ (Vietnamese traditional long dress) and ‘khan dong’ (turban), along with female residents carrying fruits and flowers.

The festival’s main ritual stage features the re-creation of wooden fishing boats in distress during a severe storm in 1893, and the statue of an old fisherman found by a local fishermen while fishing at sea in autumn 1990. This statue has been placed at the district’s Tap Linh Temple.

The ‘ba trao’ performance

A fascinating performance by artistes from the Nguyen Hien Dinh Tuong Theatre to wish local fishermen to have bumper catches throughout the year

A fishing net knitting competition attracting a great deal of attention from local residents and visitors

Local school pupils at an exhibition introducing documents and photos which prove Viet Nam’s sovereignty over its sea and islands