The Lam Kinh festival in northern Thanh Hoa province, which will receive recognition as a special national relic, is running from September 25 to 27.

This year’s festival, which takes place in Thanh Hoa city and Tho Xuan and Ngoc Lac communes, commemorates the 595th anniversary of the Lam Son uprising (1418-1427), which drove China’s Ming invaders out of the country. The resistance war ended in resounding success and the country regained its independence. The festival also marks the 580th anniversary of the death of national hero King Le Loi (1384 – 1433), the uprising’s leader.

The offerings will be made at the imperial temple of the Posterior Le dynasty’s (1427-1789) and the Le Loi monument, as well as several other temples which worship the generals who took part in the Lam Son uprising.

Tourists will be immersed in the traditional festive atmosphere with festive drum performances, processions, and time-honored rites including offering and reporting to the ancestors.

The re-creation of the Lam Son uprising, and of Le Loi’s coronation, as well as a presentation of the Lam Kinh Relic’s architectural and artistic features, will also take place.

This year’s highlights include folk games characteristic of different regions, including dragon dances, folk songs and dances, gong performances, and “ca tru” (northern ceremonial singing), along with film screenings, cultural village camps and exhibits on the uprising, Le Loi and the Posterior Le reign.

The Lam Kinh festival, which used to be the Posterior Le dynasty’s royal grand ceremony, eventually included common people and folk games and activities. The festival, however, waned for many years until it was restored in 1986.

A major renovation project worth VND162 billion (US$7.64 million) has recently begun on the Lam Kinh Relic and is expected to be completed by March 2015.