Vibrant Long Tong Festival celebrates Tet 2026

On the morning of February 24, the Long Tong Festival celebrating the Lunar New Year (Tet) of the Horse 2026 took place vibrantly in Thanh Son commune, Dong Nai province, attracting a large number of locals and tourists. This is a traditional going-to-the-field festival of the Tay and Nung ethnic groups, symbolizing prayers for favorable weather and bountiful harvests.

A bamboo dance performance opens the festival. Photo: Duc Hien

The festival was solemnly organized with a ritual to pray for good harvests, followed by a ploughing ceremony, a drum performance to open the festival, and “con” (a colorful cloth ball) tossing to usher in spring. The festive atmosphere was further enlivened by “then” singing, “tinh” lute performances, and folk games such as “con” throwing, spinning-top game, and Chinese chess…, creating a sense of unity and excitement within the community.

The ploughing ritual at the Long Tong Festival in Thanh Son commune. Photo: Duc Hien

Speaking at the ceremony, Vo Van Trung, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Son Commune, emphasized: The Long Tong Festival is not only a cultural activity at the beginning of Spring but also an occasion to honor ethnic identity, strengthen national unity, and encourage people to emulate in labor and production, building an increasingly developed homeland.

Thanh Son commune currently has over 33,000 people, of whom over 70% are engaged in agriculture and over 25% are ethnic minority people. Maintaining the annual organization of the Long Tong Festival contributes to preserving traditional cultural values and simultaneously creates motivation for people to enter the new crop season with many expectations.

The Cultural - Tourism Ambassador of Thanh Son commune for the 2026-2031 term is MC - Master Tran Tuan Dat (known as “Thay Beo U40”, second from right). Photo: Duc Hien

On this occasion, the Thanh Son Commune People's Committee announced the Cultural - Tourism Ambassador for the 2026-2031 term to enhance the promotion of the local image and effectively exploit the potential of community-based and cultural-ecological tourism in a sustainable direction.

By Lam Phong, Duc Hien – Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha