The festival will take place at multiple venues across the province and centre on performances of intangible cultural heritage elements recognised by UNESCO, with the participation of art troupes from many cities and provinces nationwide.

Vinh Nghiem pagoda.

A key highlight will be an exhibition space titled “The colourful journey of intangible cultural heritage across regions,” introducing signature cultural products and heritage values from different localities.

The main event will be a ceremony to receive UNESCO certificates recognising the Yen Tu–Vinh Nghiem–Con Son–Kiep Bac complex of monuments and scenic sites as a World Cultural Heritage and inscribing the Dong Ho folk woodblock printing craft on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

The ceremony will be held in conjunction with the opening of the festival on the evening of March 28 at February 3 Square in Bac Giang ward.

As part of the festival, Bac Ninh will organise the opening of the spring festival season and a pilgrimage to Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, considered the ancestral seat of the Truc Lam Zen sect.

The programme will include solemn spiritual rituals such as incense offerings in remembrance of the Three Patriarchs of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, prayers for national peace and prosperity, Buddha and patriarch processions, ordination rites and chanting ceremonies, aimed at promoting the humanistic philosophy and spiritual values of Truc Lam Buddhism.

An exhibition of Vietnamese folk paintings will be held at the Dong Ho Folk Painting Conservation Centre in Thuan Thanh ward, introducing the Dong Ho folk painting craft alongside other well-known traditional genres such as Hang Trong, Kim Hoang and Lang Sinh paintings. The event will also recreate the traditional Dong Ho painting market, a distinctive cultural feature of the Kinh Bac countryside.

The festival programme will also include a wide range of cultural, tourism and sports activities. These include the Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk singing contest in spring 2026, themed exhibitions on the Yen Tu–Vinh Nghiem–Con Son–Kiep Bac World Heritage site, displays of representative antiquities from Bac Ninh, exhibitions of books, newspapers and archival materials documenting the province’s history and development and its cultural heritage.

Visitors will also be able to take part in experiential activities under the theme “Spring journeys in the land of Quan Ho,” as well as enjoy pedestrian streets, tourism and trade fairs and themed travel tours branded as “Journeys to the heritage land.”

In addition, Bac Ninh plans to host a series of provincial- and national-level sports tournaments during the festival period.

Provincial authorities said the festival is expected to help promote Bac Ninh’s cultural identity, boost tourism and raise public awareness of heritage preservation, while strengthening cultural exchanges among localities across Vietnam.

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