Home | VOV.VN

The Đoan Ngọ Festival is an important occasion for Vietnamese families. Households prepare offerings for their ancestors, and family members gather to enjoy traditional foods believed to ward off pests, disease and bad luck, while praying for peace, good health and prosperity.

The items available for this occasion are quite diverse, including Rượu nếp (fermented glutinous rice) and Tro cake (bánh tro).

Rượu nếp (fermented glutinous rice) is a signature dish which is indispensable during the Đoan Ngọ Festival.

Tro cake (bánh tro), a type of cake cooked from glutinous rice, is also a popular item for customers to purchase at the market.

In addition to traditional dishes, residents buy fresh fruits such as plums, lychees, and longans as offerings to ancestors on the altar.

Traditionally, this period marks the transition into the hottest season of the year, when insects and pests become more active in fields and gardens. It's believed that special foods and rituals performed on this day could help protect health, ensure a good harvest, and ward off harmful influences.

Every year during the Đoan Ngọ Festival, Le Thu Huong, a vendor at Hoang Dao Thanh Market in Hanoi’s Khuong Dinh ward, wakes up at 3 a.m. to prepare fermented glutinous rice, ensuring it is ready for sale by 5 a.m. to serve local residents.

"This year many customers want to buy offerings early, so I start selling the dish from the 4th day of the fifth lunar month which is earlier than in previous years," Huong shares.

According to Huong, consumer spending for this year’s Doan Ngo Festival appears weaker than in previous years. While customers typically bought three or four containers of fermented glutinous rice during last year’s festival, many are purchasing only one small one this year.

The Đoan Ngọ Festival is not only an occasion to enjoy traditional dishes but also a chance for her family to remember their ancestors, Nguyen Thu Thuy residing in Hanoi says.

Among offerings to ancestors, Rượu nếp (fermented glutinous rice) is an indispensable dish. It’s believed that eating such rice can help kill worms and improve people’s health.

Traditionally, Vietnamese people would eat sour fruits, fermented sticky rice and tro cakes upon waking on the Đoan Ngọ Festival, believing these foods could ward off illness and bad luck. In the photo shoppers buy offerings at Hang Be Market in Hanoi ahead of the festival.

A customer tastes fermented glutinous rice before buying. A tray of offerings to ancestors on this occasion often comprises flowers, fruits and fermented glutinous rice.

Fermented glutinous rice is commonly stored in plastic containers, costing between VND25,000-50,000 each depending on sizes.

Passed down through generations, the Đoan Ngọ Festival is not only an occasion for Vietnamese families to express gratitude to deities but also a time to pay tribute to their ancestors and reflect on their roots. The festival is an important part of Vietnam’s cultural heritage and continues to be preserved and passed on to younger generations.

Hanoi markets bustle ahead of Đoan Ngọ Festival

Top 10 tourist destinations in central Vietnam

Top 10 tourist destinations in central Vietnam

A special Cloud Market amid misty peaks of Southern Vietnam

Bai Xep Fishing Village - A timeless rhythm by the sea

Dong Thap Lotus Festival celebrates the beauty of Vietnam’s iconic flower

Hanoi markets bustle ahead of Đoan Ngọ Festival