Watch thirty villages carry their palanquins into one Tran dynasty temple
Ca tru inside the rite, not on a stage
The Thai Vi temple festival runs on the 14th to 16th days of the third lunar month at Van Lam village, within walking distance of the Tam Coc boat pier. The processions assemble first at dinh Cac before entering the temple.
Why it's unique
This is not a single procession. Around thirty palanquin teams come in from communes across the district and province, converging on one temple, and each team carries three palanquins of distinct rank: kieu song hanh for the courtiers, kieu bat cong for the king, kieu vong for the queen mother or princess.
The ritual climax has nine men reading the nine movements of a ceremonial ode to the Tran emperors, and after each movement a man plays and a woman narrates in ca tru. Ca tru embedded as a functional part of a temple sacrifice, rather than performed as heritage display, is genuinely uncommon.
Before you go
The main day is the 14th and it opens at dawn, when Van Lam villagers perform le mo cua den and carry the incense bowl out to dinh Cac. Arrive mid-morning and you have missed the part that matters. The Gregorian date moves by weeks year to year, so check it.
The sacrificial board is formally constituted, with a chanh te, two phan hien, two boi te, callers, a drummer and a bearer, drawn from elders and village office-holders. This is a living village institution rather than a show.
The games afterwards are unusual and worth staying for: competitive rice-cooking, dragon boat racing, cheo opera, to tom diem, co boi, swing contests, tug of war, and dragon and lion dance. Outside the festival the temple is a quiet stop on the walk or cycle between Tam Coc and Bich Dong, and is notable for being built substantially in stone.