The Dragon Boat Festival is an annual event taking place in Hoi An Old Town, Vietnam. In this article, HoiAn Day Trip Company will provide visitors all information about it.
You may also like: Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Festival
• Content by Tam Le, founder of HOIAN DAY TRIP CO.,LTD
• Designed by Giang Cong Minh, co-founder of LS E&C LTD and his team
• Photo by Dang Cong Loi, Dao Xuan Son, Tam Le & others
Origin of Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival or Tet Nguyen Ngo, originated over 2,000 years ago in ancient China. Its most famous legend honors Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet-statesman who drowned himself in the Miluo River in 278 BCE to protest the invasion of his homeland. Desperate to save him, local villagers raced out in boats and threw sticky rice dumplings (zongzi) into the water to distract fish from his body. Beyond this, the festival has pre-imperial roots in dragon worship and rituals to ward off summer plagues and evil spirits during the “unlucky” fifth lunar month.
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes tours in Hoi An Vietnam. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or hoiandaytripcompany@gmail.com or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Names of Dragon Boat Festival
The Mid-Year Festival is called the Dragon Boat Festival because the centerpieces of the celebration are long, narrow boats carved and painted with the head, scales, and tail of a dragon, a powerful deity in Chinese culture believed to control the water and rain needed for a successful harvest.
The Dragon Boat Festival is known as Tet Doan Ngo in Vietnam or Duanwu (端午) in China. Doan Ngo literally translates to “Starting Noon” or “Starting Five,” marking the festival’s position as the first “fifth day” of the fifth lunar month. In the traditional Chinese calendar, the character wu (午) refers to both the “hour of the horse” (noon) and the middle month of summer, signaling the peak of solar energy and the beginning of the hottest season. Because the word for “noon” (wu) sounds identical to the word for “five” (五), the festival eventually became synonymous with the Double Fifth, a day dedicated to balancing the powerful yang energy of mid-summer.
Vietnamese people call the Dragon Boat Festival the “Pest-Killing Festival” because it falls during a seasonal transition when heat and humidity cause pests to multiply and threaten crops. According to Vietnamese legend, after a farmer’s harvest was nearly destroyed by insects, a mysterious old man taught the villagers to perform rituals and eat specific foods to eliminate the pests. Today, the tradition continues as families eat fermented sticky rice and sour fruits early in the morning, believing these foods will “kill” parasites and diseases within the human body to ensure good health.
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes tours in Hoi An Vietnam. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or hoiandaytripcompany@gmail.com or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Dragon Boat Festival in Hoi An
– Location: all over Hoi An city, Quang Nam province, Vietnam
– Observed by: Vietnamese and Chinese
– Vietnamese name(s): Tet Doan Ngo
– Other name(s): Mid-Year Festival, Pest Killing Festival, Double Fifth Festival
– Date(s): the 5th day of the 5th lunar month
– Duration: 1-2 days
– Significance(s):
– Food/beverage: + banh u tro (lye water rice cake): a traditional Vietnamese pyramid-shaped dumpling made from glutinous rice treated with herbal ash water, giving the rice a translucent amber color and a distinctively chewy, cooling texture that is typically enjoyed with sugar or syrup. Before or during the festival, visitors can come to Hoi An Central Market or Tiger Market to buy this cake.
+ herbal tea made by la mung nam (the fifth day leaf): a potent blend of dozens of wild herbs and roots believed to reach their peak medicinal power at exactly noon on the festival day. This earthy, slightly bitter tea is consumed to detoxify the liver and improve digestion, serving as a natural remedy to “kill pests” and protect the body during the transition into the summer heat. Before the festival, visitors can come to entrance of Hoi An Central Market to buy the leaves.
+ duck meat: considered a “cooling” (yin) food that balances the intense summer heat and maximizes health during the year’s strongest peak of solar energy. Additionally, this season marks the time when ducks are at their most delicious and plump after feeding on post-harvest rice fields, making them the perfect seasonal offering for ancestors and family feasts.
+ millet sweet soup: a local favorite made from millet and mung beans, often eaten by scooping it with crispy rice crackers instead of a spoon.
+ fruits like jackfruit, banana, lychee,…
– Travel blog: https://hoiandaytrip.com/dragon-boat-festival-hoi-an/
– Tour guide: contact +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo)
– Recognition(s): UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
– Fact:
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes tours in Hoi An Vietnam. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or hoiandaytripcompany@gmail.com or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Other Festivals & Cultural Events in Hoi An
Besides the Dragon Boat Festival, visitors can visit these festivals in Hoi An:
+ monthly festivals: Hoi An Lantern Festival (Full Moon Festival, Light Festival)
+ yearly festivals: First Full Moon Festival (Tet Nguyen Tieu), Mid-Autumn Festival (Tet Trung Thu), Dragon Boat Festival (Tet Doan Ngo), Hung Kings Festival, Lunar New Year (Tet Festival, Tet Nguyen Dan), Hungry Ghost Festival, An Bang Beach Food & Music Festival, Cold Food Festival (Tet Han Thuc), Hoi An International Food Festival, Corn Festival, Long Chu Festival, the Buddha’s Birthday (Le Phat Dan), Vu Lan Festival, Balloon Festival, Cau Bong Festival, Cau Ngu Festival, Hoi An – Japan Cultural Exchange,…
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes tours and transfers to Hoi An Old Town. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or hoiandaytripcompany@gmail.com or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Other Things to See in Hoi An Old Town
– Bridges: Japanese Covered Bridge (Pagoda Bridge), Moonlight Bridge, An Hoi Bridge (Bridge of Lights), Cam Nam Bridge
– Museums: Museum of Sa Huynh Culture, Museum of Folklore, Museum of Trade Ceramics, Museum of Traditional Medicine, Hoi An Museum of History & Culture, Japanese Culture Gallery, Black Sesame Soup Demonstration, Museum of Local Products
– Chinese assembly halls: Cantonese Assembly Hall, Fujian Assembly Hall, Trung Hoa Assembly Hall, Hainan Assembly Hall, Teochew Assembly Hall
– Heritage houses: Tan Ky Old House, Phung Hung Old House, Duc An Old House, Quan Thang Ancient House, Diep Dong Nguyen House, Thai Phien Ancient House
– Temples & pagodas: Quan Cong Temple (Ong Pagoda), Ba Mu Temple, Phap Bao Pagoda, Quan Am Pagoda, Hoi An Confucius Temple, Cao Dai Temple of Hoi An, Hoi An Ancestral Temple, Cam Pho Confucius Temple, Minh Huong Confucius Temple, Vien Giac Pagoda, Hy Hoa Temple
– Family chapels: Tran Family Chapel, Nguyen Tuong Family Chapel
– Communal houses: Cam Pho Communal House, Hoi An Communal House, Minh Huong Communal House, Tu Le Communal House, Xuan Lam Communal House, Son Phong Communal House
– Markets: Hoi An Central Market, Hoi An Cloth/Fabric Market, Hoi An Night Market (Nguyen Hoang Night Market), Cam Pho Market
– Theatres: Hoi An Traditional Art Performance House, Hoi An Lune Center for Performing Arts (now where Teh Dar Show takes place), Hoi An Memories Land Theme Park (now where Hoi An Memories Show takes place)
– Famous streets: Tran Phu Street, Phan Chu Trinh Street, Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Bach Dang Street/Wharf, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Hoi An Lantern Streets
– Other points of interest: Red Seal Ship Model, Hoi An Evanlegical Church, Thong Dang Prison & Park, Kazik Park (Memory Statue of Kazimierz Kwiatkowski), Hoai River (Hoi An River), Song Hoai Square, An Hoi Sculpture Park, Hoi An Catholic Church, Hoi An Prison, Hoi An Central Park, Ba Le Well, Hoi An Lantern Park, An Hoi Island, Cam Nam Island, Thu Bon River, Da Ken Tree
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes tours in Hoi An Vietnam. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or hoiandaytripcompany@gmail.com or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Guided Tours to Hoi An Ancient Town Vietnam
From Hoi An
– Hoi An Old Town Walking Tour – 2 Hour Express Tour with Local
– Hoi An Half Day Walking Tour with Traditional Art Performance
– Hoi An City Tour: Old Town, Coconut Village & Lunch
– Hoi An Morning Walking Tour with Local Breakfast & Coffee
– Hoi An Afternoon Walking Tour with Thu Bon River Sunset Cruise
– Hoi An Night Tour with Lantern Boat Ride & Dinner
– Hoi An History & Food Tour – Famous Landmarks & Specialty Dishes
– Hoi An Instagram Tour: Best Photo Spots & Rooftop Café
– Hoi An Old Town Food Tour with Night Boat Ride
– Hoi An Old Town Private Walking Tour with Local Expert
– Hoi An City Tour by Electric Car
HOIAN DAY TRIP CO.,LTD daily organizes tours in Hoi An and Da Nang. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
From Da Nang
– Hoi An Half Day Tour from Da Nang
– Hoi An Night Tour from Da Nang
– Hoi An Night Tour from Da Nang with Coconut Forest Basket Boat Ride
– Hoi An Night Tour from Da Nang with Hoi An Memories Show
– Marble Mountain & Hoi An Day Tour from Da Nang
– Marble Mountain & Hoi An Night Tour from Da Nang
– Hoi An Full Day Tour from Da Nang
– Hoi An City Tour from Airport
– Marble Mountain, Monkey Mountain & Hoi An Day Tour from Da Nang
– Hoi An Full Day Tour from Da Nang with Chinese Speaking Guide
– My Son Sanctuary & Hoi An Tour – World Heritage Site Tour
– Golden Bridge/Ba Na Hills Tour & Hoi An Tour from Da Nang
– Marble Mountain & Hoi An Tour from Da Nang Cruise Port
– Marble Mountain & Hoi An Tour from Chan May Cruise Port
– Marble Mountain & Hoi An Day Tour from Intercontinental Danang Resort
– Marble Mountain & Hoi An Day Tour from Lang Co
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes tours in Hoi An and Da Nang. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Photos, Videos about Hoi An – Dragon Boat Festival
Here are photos, videos about Hoi An Dragon Boat Festival:
