Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, head of the Permanent Delegation of Viet Nam to UNESCO Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van, and staff at Vietnamese representative offices in the European nation offered incense to Hung Kings and late President Ho Chi Minh.

As The World & Vietnam reported, they vowed to uphold patriotism, self-reliance, and solidarity to fulfil tasks assigned by the Party and State, along with the foreign policies defined at the 13th National Party Congress.

Embassy of Vietnam in France hosts ceremony to pay tribute to Hung Kings (Photo: VNA)

Legend has it that Lac Long Quan (real name Sung Lam, son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu) married Au Co (the fairy daughter of De Lai). Au Co then gave birth to a pouch filled with 100 eggs, which soon hatched into a hundred sons.

However, soon thereafter, Lac Long Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coast with 50 of the children, while Au Co went to the highlands with the rest.

Their eldest son was made king, who named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (modern-day Viet Tri city in Phu Tho province), beginning the 18 generations of the Hung Kings.

The kings chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for healthy crops.

To honour their great contributions, a complex of temples dedicated to them was built on Nghia Linh Mountain, and the 10th day of the third lunar month serves as the national commemorative anniversary for the kings.

The worship of the Hung Kings, closely related to the ancestral worship traditions of most Vietnamese families, was recognised as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2012.

Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang offered incense. Photo: VNA.

Previously, as Communist Party of Vietnam Online Newspaper reported, the death anniversary of Hung Kings – the legendary founders of the nation – will be connected online to more than 40 countries and territories on April 10 or the 10th day of the third lunar month.

The project to mark the anniversary globally was initiated by a number of scientists, intellectuals and leaders of Vietnamese associations in seven countries, with the aim of connecting overseas Vietnamese and international friends in an effort to preserve intangible cultural heritage of humanity and the worship rituals dedicated to Hung Kings.

Therefore, the commemoration is a special cultural event for not only the Vietnamese community abroad but also international friends.

This year’s event will feature rituals, art performances and a ceremony to honour outstanding Vietnamese abroad.

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