The opening ceremony of the 1st Ho Chi Minh City Sports Festival 2026 took place in a solemn, vibrant atmosphere rich in cultural colors on the evening of April 19th, at the Saigon Riverfront Park (An Khanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City).

Following the merger of Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, and Hoa Binh provinces into the new Phu Tho province last year, the Hung Kings Temple Festival has taken on heightened significance. It now serves not only as a tribute to the ancestral homeland but also a unified cultural platform that extends sacred ancestral values to Vietnamese communities at home and abroad.

Many traditional folk games once faced the risk of disappearing amid modern life and new forms of entertainment. However, joint efforts by the Government, the cultural sector and communities are reviving them, helping preserve cultural identity and strengthen community bonds.

Beyond cultural value, well-organised festival programmes linked with tourism and media can contribute to the development of cultural industries and enhance Việt Nam’s cultural soft power, positioning heritage-based events as distinctive national cultural brands in the international arena.

Cultural values are no longer confined to static spaces, instead, they are being revived and presented in flexible ways that fit new contexts.