The Thuong (Upper) Temple Festival commemorating Tran Quoc Tuan opened on February 6 at the Thuong Temple historical and cultural site in northern Lao Cai province.

The festival opened with a palanquin procession and incense offerings to show gratitude to Tran Quoc Tuan, who played a vital role in the development of the Tran dynasty and is now honoured as a national saint.

A series of cultural and sports activities were held during the festival along with a display of agricultural products and handicrafts from 17 communes and wards in Lao Cai city.

Visitors also had the opportunity to enjoy traditional dishes of ethnic minority people in Lao Cai such as Bac Ha wine, dried pork, and seven-coloured steamed glutinous rice.

The annual festival kicks off the ‘Travelling to the Roots’ tourism programme which is co-organised annually by Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Phu Tho provinces to promote tourism in the northern mountainous region.