Tu Phap festival in Dau region is a long-standing cultural and religious practice associated with the emergence and development of Buddhism in Dau – Luy Lau, one of the earliest Buddhist centers in Vietnam.

The possession of the Four Dharma Statues at Dau region festival.

The festival is organized annually on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month with participation of local people in 12 villages in ancient Dau-Luy Lau region, now belonging to Tri Qua and Song Lieu wards.

The center of the festival is Dau pagoda, which is well-known for its historical, architectural and artistic values as well as religious life of the Kinh Bac people.

A highlight of the festival is the ritual system associated with the worship of the Tu Phap (Four Dharmas), which represent four natural phenomena including cloud, rain, thunder and lightning, corresponding respectively to Phap Van, Phap Vu, Phap Loi and Phap Dien.

Legend has it that the Four Dharmas were children of Mother Buddha Man Nuong.

The 4 statues carved from the sacred mulberry tree associated with the story of Man Nuong leaving the tree at the pagoda are enshrined in 4 pagodas in the region.

On the main festival day, the statues of the Four Dharmas are carried in procession from village temples to Dau pagoda, where a community ceremony and other traditional ritual processions are held.

Particularly, the “mother chasing daughter” ritual, the water-splashing performance between Lady Rain (Phap Vu) and Lady Thunder (Phap Loi), the Bach Truong – Hong Con staff dance and the night-time procession of the Four Dharmas are highlights of the festival.

The rituals and folk performances convey the agricultural community's aspirations for favourable weather, bumper crops and prosperous life.

A drum performance at the 2026 Dau Region Traditional Festival.

In addition to special rituals, the festival also features a series of traditional ceremonies, including the ritual to remove the Buddha statues to the festival ceremony, the ceremonial bestowal of robes and crowns upon the Buddha statues, incense offerings, the return of the statues of Phap Van, Phap Vu, Phap Loi and Phap Dien to their respective pagodas and ceremonial processions from the villages in the region.

What makes Dau region festival different from other Buddhist festivals is the depth of its religious beliefs and community spirit.

Dau pagoda was ranked as a special national relic in 2013. The collection of the Tu Phap Buddha statues in the Dau region was recognized as a national treasure in 2017, followed by the recognition of the Dau Pagoda woodblocks as a national treasure in 2024.

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