On April 13, in the framework of the Quang Ngai Tourism Week 2025, the ceremony commemorating sailors of the historic Hoang Sa (Paracel) flotilla took place in the communal house of An Vinh village, Ly Son district.
The ceremony, namely “Le khao le the linh Hoang Sa” (the Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa Soldiers), pays tribute to the men enlisted in the flotilla to patrol the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, and defend national island sovereignty.
In 2013, it was accredited as the national intangible cultural heritage.
This annual ritual has traditionally been held on the 16th day of the second lunar month with the participation of local residents for hundreds of years.
The ceremony includes a traditional offering ritual, garlands and the models of wooden boats carrying soldiers and sailors out to sea.
About 3-4 centuries ago under the Nguyen Lords’ mandate, 70 of the island’s best seafarers were chosen to safeguard their homeland’s maritime rights and explore the East Sea every year. In the mid-sixteenth century, the Hoang Sa Flotilla was established to conduct marine patrol and control, exploit marine products, and collect ship-wrecked cargoes floating to Hoang Sa and Truong Sa areas. They began their trip in the second lunar month and returned six months later.
Since their mission was fraught with danger, a ceremony was held before the trip to pray for their safety. Puppets representing the men and basics like rice, salt, fuel wood, and drinking water were put on replica boats which were then released into the sea to symbolically substitute for them.
The ceremony has been observed over centuries by families in Ly Son and many coastal areas in Quang Ngai, attracting increasing participation of visitors across Vietnam in recent years.
Some photos of the event:
Minh Thien
.JPG)