Visiting Co Loa: Reliving the Ancient Spirit!

Business owners must clear sidewalks and common areas, avoid cluttering the festival grounds, and refrain from impeding traffic flow. Park vehicles only in designated areas, following all festival parking regulations, and comply with the guidance of security personnel. Vendors must strictly adhere to sales regulations. For today's festival, the eight Loatan communes will process the palanquins to the temple, followed by the incense offering ceremony, wrestling, kite flying, and other scheduled events. Everyone has been arriving since yesterday. Tonight, we have professional troops performing alongside performances by our local units. How do you find the atmosphere this year compared to last? Overall, the atmosphere is wonderful and refreshing. The paths are clear and well-maintained, bright, and very clean. This year's festival is well organized for residents and visitors alike, with no social disturbances or pickpocketing. I believe this year's festival is excellent. Street vendors have been cleared from the festival entrance. The pathways are completely clear for everyone. Overall, visitors are enjoying the festival atmosphere. Thank you all for joining us. Drum and flag bearers, take your positions. We invite the ritual processions to move forward, honoring the era, upholding our shared legacy, celebrating our defense against foreign invaders. The Lunar New Year Festival of the Eight Loatan Communes is a true testament to our cultural beauty and our history of national defense, upholding our moral traditions. The festival preserves our rich cultural identity, honoring the history, culture, architecture, and archaeology of Koloa, fostering national pride and guiding us toward truth, goodness, and beauty. For the opening of the 2024 Koloa Spring Festival, the organizing committee is honored to welcome our distinguished guests. We respectfully introduce our honorable guests today. Mr. Ha Minh Hai, Member of the City Party Committee and Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee. Mr. Du Dinh Hung, Member of the City Party Committee and Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports. Mr. Dao Duy Phong, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Transport. Mr. Nguyen Hung Nguyen, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism. Representatives from municipal departments and agencies. Leaders from districts and towns across Hanoi. Delegates from the Tang Long, Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center. We are honored to introduce Mr. Ngo Van Anh, Member of the District Party Committee. Deputy Director of the Tang Long, Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center. Representatives of departments from the Tang Long, Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center. Delegates from Dien Chau District, Nha Trang Province. We are honored to introduce Mr. Ha Hsien Kuang, Provincial Party Committee Member, Standing Deputy Secretary, Chairman of the People's Council of Dien Chau District, Nha Trang Province. We are honored to introduce Mr. Pham Hsien Se, Standing Member of the District Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Chau District, Nha Trang Province. Along with the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee, the People's Council, the People's Committee, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Dien Chau District. Leaders and representatives of departments, agencies, and mass organizations of Dien Chau District, Nha Trang Province. Regarding local leadership, we are honored to introduce Mr. Nguyen Van Quang, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Head of the 2024 Koloa Spring Festival Organizing Committee. The 2024 Koloa Spring Festival Organizing Committee expresses our sincere gratitude and warm welcome to all distinguished guests, venerable delegates, fellow citizens, and visitors from near and far attending our festival. We wish you and your families a new year of health, happiness, prosperity, and peace. Continuing our program, we are honored to invite Mr. Nguyen Anh Duong, Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong An District, to deliver the opening speech for the 2024 Koloa Spring Festival. We cordially invite you to the podium. Distinguished Mr. Ha Minh Hai, Member of the City Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee. Distinguished leaders, honored guests, fellow citizens, and visitors from near and far. The Koloa Special National Heritage Site, one of our most precious historical treasures, features unique ramparts, exquisite architecture, and significant archaeological findings. Having served twice as the capital, it remains a proud symbol of our ancient Vietnamese civilization and national heritage. Through thousands of years of history, Koloa has witnessed the profound transformations of our nation. Yet for Dong An locals, the legends of the king building the citadel endure. The tale of the fairy who brought earth to build the ramparts. The legend of slaying the white chicken spirit at Mount Sai. Or the story of General Chau Lo, who crafted the magic crossbow to defeat invaders. And many others. Every story carries a profound humanistic meaning. Moreover, the soil of Koloa remains a vast archive of history, where every layer is a page of life itself. Written in bronze drums, arrows, pottery shards, and stone axes. Fishing nets and ancient traditions preserved by every Koloa citizen. With these deep cultural and historical values, in 1962, Koloa was recognized as a National Heritage Site. 50 years later, in 2012, Koloa was honored by the Prime Minister's decision to classify it as a Special National Heritage Site. A site of historical, architectural, and archaeological significance. In 2021, the Koloa Festival was named a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. It defines the millennial heritage of our capital, Hanoi. It stands as a testament to the thriving heart and soul of our nation. Its nature is an ancient capital and fortress honors the spirit of Tang Long Hanoi. It is a source of immense pride for all of Dong An and Hanoi. Distinguished leaders, honored guests, dear fellow citizens and visitors from near and far. History is an endless flow. Koloa is the crystallization of these values. Tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Koloa Festival is renowned for its sacred rituals and the procession of the eight Loatan communes reflecting the spirit of community solidarity. A tradition passed down through the ages every year when Tet arrives as spring returns. On the sixth day of the first lunar month, the people of Koloa solemnly hold our traditional festival to express our deep gratitude for the virtues of our benevolent king. We honor our ancestors' legacy of nation-building and defense. To all our citizens and visitors from afar, we come with sincere hearts to pray for favorable weather, happiness, and national prosperity. Today, on this historic land, we offer incense and celebrate our achievements in economy, culture, and security in 2023. Distinguished guests, the spring of Giap Thanh 2024 is a special season for our district to focus all resources on elevating Dong An into a modern, sustainable urban district. This brings both great opportunities and significant challenges for the party, government, and people of Dong An. Before the spirit of King Nguyen Duong Vong, we pledge our unity to build a prosperous, civilized, and modern Dong An within our capital city, Hanoi, preserving the enduring foundation established by King Thuc over 2,000 years ago. King Nguyen, the ancestor of our restoration, inaugurated our nation's independence. We hope Koloa will soon become a World Heritage Site for all to visit. To realize this, every local citizen, descendants of the ancient Olac, living on the lands of Leng Kuei and Dong An, must take responsibility through meaningful and practical actions, such as actively protecting our ancient earthen ramparts and historical monuments, planting traditional trees, and preserving and passing down our cherished customs and noble traditions. The precious legacy of our ancestors, especially the rituals of Koloa, must leave a lasting impression on visitors who join us, enhancing the stature of our Koloa heritage in this new era. With this vision and intent, I hereby declare the Koloa Festival open for the Spring of Giap Than, 2024. I wish our leaders, distinguished delegates, and guests, the Bat Aksai Loatan community, and all our visitors, a healthy, happy, and peaceful festival. May the new year bring success and prosperity with many new achievements. Thank you very much. Next in our program is the ritual offering of Bat Aksai Loatan. Respectfully, we invite the venerable elders. Strike the drums and gongs, three full rounds. Let the ceremonial music begin. We respectfully invite you on this sixth day of the first lunar month to our solemn ceremony to honor King Nduang Vong, the legendary founder of our ancient citadel. Reflecting on our annual development and our vibrant cultural heritage, this rite holds profound significance in our nation's history. It is a time to pay tribute to our roots, upholding our traditions and honoring the spirit of our people. The authorities and people of Lien Ha, alongside the Leng Kwe community, take pride in this heritage. The ancestors of Leng Kwe were original residents of Koloa when King Nduang Vong chose Koloa as his capital. The people of Leng Kwe helped build the citadel walls. The king then relocated the villagers to the Hawaii region, now known as Leng Kwe. Leng Kwe villagers are descendants of Koloa, entrusted with sacred duties and perform the ceremonial offerings at the upper courtyard. Every year on the sixth day, the people of Lien Ha take immense pride in this tradition. On behalf of the party, government and the people of Lien Ha and Leng Kwe, I warmly congratulate the Bat Aksai Loatan community on this annual festival, welcoming a new spring with renewed energy and opportunity. We are honored to be here at this sacred site to report our achievements to King Nduang Vong. Over the past year, Lien Ha and Leng Kwe have worked alongside Bat Aksai Loatan to overcome challenges, boost production, ensure security and improve living standards while preserving our cultural heritage and intangible values. These values continue to be preserved and promoted. In 2023, the Lien Ha Party Committee successfully fulfilled its duties, and our local government met all criteria to transition into an urban ward, contributing to the development of Dong An. With pride, we look back to our roots. We honor our ancestors and their legacy. The party, government and people of Lien Ha pledge to unite and strive even harder. Alongside the people of Bat Aksai Loatan to boost economic growth, improve our people's living standards and build a prosperous, civilized, modern ward. We will preserve and promote our cultural values, the history of this land of revolutionary tradition, worthy of the heritage of Koloa. In this Spring of Giap Thanh 2024, on behalf of the party, government and people of Lien Ha and the Leng Kuei community, I wish this year's Koloa Festival great success. We sincerely thank the people of Bat Aksai Loatan for their affection toward the Leng Kuei community of Lien Ha. We wish our distinguished guests and visitors a new year of health, happiness and success. Wishing everyone new momentum and victories. Thank you. Moving on, the organizing committee cordially invites Mr. Du Van Giac to perform the incense offering ritual. We respectfully invite you, sir. Please proceed with the ceremony. With gratitude, we honor our heritage.