The Hùng Kings' Festival — Giỗ Tổ Hùng Vương, Vietnam's day of ancestral remembrance — falls on Friday, April 16, 2027, the 10th day of the third lunar month. Watch the days count down on our live Hùng Kings' Festival countdown.
When is the Hùng Kings' Festival?
The festival is held on the tenth day of the third lunar month, so the Gregorian date moves each year — April 16 in 2027 and April 4 in 2028. It has been a national public holiday in Vietnam since 2007, giving workers a day off to honour the nation's legendary founders.
The Phú Thọ pilgrimage
The heart of the festival is the Hùng Kings' Temple complex on Nghĩa Lĩnh Mountain in Phú Thọ Province, the land traditionally seen as the cradle of the Vietnamese people. Pilgrims climb the temple steps to offer incense, flowers and the festival's signature sticky-rice cakes — bánh chưng and bánh giầy — while processions, folk games and xoan singing fill the grounds. Millions take part each year.
A UNESCO heritage
A popular proverb captures the day: "However far you wander, remember the ancestors' death anniversary on the tenth of the third month." UNESCO recognised the Worship of the Hùng Kings in Phú Thọ on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.
Count down to the festival
Follow the live Hùng Kings' Festival countdown, explore more festival countdowns, or create your own countdown to share.