Nghinh Ong Festival

The festival is held in Dinh Thang Tam, the communal house is located on Hoang Hoa Tham street in the center of Vung Tau city so you will easily find the communal house. The communal house was built from the later reign of King Minh Mang in 1965, the communal house has been repaired and maintained to this day. In Thang Tam communal house, in addition to worshiping the three people who built three villages in this region, inside the communal house there is also a mausoleum to worship the ong (whale), fish according to the concept of people going to the sea to always help people. Whenever there is a storm, a strong wind, their ships are in trouble at sea. Currently, in the mausoleum, there is a giant fish skeleton that washed up on the beach about 100 years ago.

Nghinh Ong Festival is known as one of the major festivals of Vung Tau every year attracting a large number of tourists flocking here to participate. The festival takes place from August 15 to August 18 of the lunar calendar every year, the festival is an occasion for fishermen to pray for peace when going to the sea, catching a lot of shrimp and fish. On the official day of the 16th lunar month, right from the early morning, the delegation of Mr. Nam Hai led by a ship decorated with the most prominent flower flags, followed by dozens of fishermen's boats. When approaching Nghinh Phong cape, 5km from the shore, the delegation conducted a ceremony to offer incense, wine and flowers to the sea god, asking to receive him. After finishing the ceremony to welcome him at sea, the group returned to the front beach to continue the ceremony to welcome him back to the communal house. In the procession of him to the communal house, the leader was a model of his fish, followed by a group of people holding flower flags and dancing lions, wherever the group went to create an exciting atmosphere there. The parade goes through many routes such as Ba Cu, Tran Hung Dao and Hoang Hoa Tham before the procession to Thang Tam temple. At the end of the ceremony, there is a festival with many attractive folk games, movement games such as tug of war, knitting nets, fishing, pushing sticks, etc., attracting a large number of locals and tourists to participate.