Vu Ban District: Shrines, Festivals and Crafts

In Vu Ban District, the cultural landscape ranges from the Phủ Dầy complex to lunar-calendar festivals and agricultural and craft experiences. You can plan your trip around what interests you most: architecture and spiritual traditions, festival days or hands-on activities.

Phủ Dầy: Shrines and Architecture

In Kim Thái Commune, the Phủ Dầy complex comprises Phủ Tiên Hương, Phủ Vân Cát and the Mausoleum of Liễu Hạnh. The complex is dedicated to Liễu Hạnh, who is considered one of the Four Immortals in Vietnam’s spiritual pantheon. Phủ Tiên Hương was built during the Lê Cảnh Trị era, from 1663 to 1671, and has been restored several times. The site comprises 19 buildings with a total of 81 large and small rooms; it faces southwest towards the Tiên Hương Mountains. These details give the site a tangible architectural dimension: in addition to its religious significance, you can also appreciate the scale and orientation of the complex.

The Phủ Dầy Festival includes torchlight processions, processions carrying sacred scriptures, the Hoa trượng hội, spirit medium performances and folk games. On the 6th day of the 3rd lunar month, a procession asking for sacred scriptures travels from Phủ Tiên Hương to Gội Pagoda. Older residents, spirit mediums and many local and visiting participants take part. The individual events may vary from year to year.

Markets and Dates on the Lunar Calendar

The lunar calendar also determines the date of Hội chợ Viềng: it takes place on the 8th day of the first lunar month in Kim Thái Commune, Vụ Bản District, and in Nam Giang Town, Nam Trực District. The dates for Chợ Viềng in Trung Thành, Kim Thái Commune, are specified more precisely: it is held only once a year, from midnight on the 7th until the morning of the 8th day of the Tết New Year, and is associated with the worship of Liễu Hạnh. If a festival is the reason for your trip, check the dates for the year in question; the corresponding Gregorian dates vary with the lunar calendar.

Agricultural Experiences and Traditional Crafts

The experiences described in 2024 at the Núi Ngăm ecotourism area (Ngăm Resort) include growing vegetables, fishing, catching ducks and cooking in a clay pot. Visits to the animal husbandry area, botanical garden and medicinal herb garden are also mentioned. The focus is therefore on agricultural activities and opportunities to explore plant and animal areas. Traditional crafts include pottery, making paper flowers, and weaving with rattan and bamboo. These activities offer a different focus from the temple and festival traditions: they provide specific ideas if you would rather make practical activities the focus of your trip than architecture. The programme may change; check in advance which activities are available during your trip.

Other Cultural Heritage Sites

In Cao Phương, Liên Bảo Commune, the temple dedicated to Trạng nguyên Lương Thế Vinh has been recognised as a national historical and cultural monument since 1990. Chùa Hổ Sơn, also called Quảng Nghiêm Thiền Tự, lies at the foot of Hổ Sơn Mountain in Liên Minh Commune. The pagoda is a place of worship for Princess Huyền Trân. The people of Hổ Sơn Village hold an annual festival in her honour on the 9th day of the 4th lunar month; here too, the Gregorian date changes from year to year.

Chùa Hổ Sơn preserves 27 worship statues and 27 old ritual objects, including statues of two princesses and four imperial decrees. If you are interested in this collection, check in advance how it is currently displayed. Vu Ban District thus offers several different points of interest: religious sites and their architecture, recurring festivals, and agriculture and crafts. When looking for a holiday rental in Vu Ban District, consider which of these aspects should determine when you travel and how you plan your stay.

Discover more destinations: Quynh Phu District

See the regional travel overview: Nam Định.